Collision Course
by NeonWorld
Summary: Sasuke and Naruto are 16yrold ANBU, and their newest mission is by far the strangest: They need to blend into the society and protect a boy of the same age for this time of increased danger. The boy's name? Harry Potter. HpNaruto xover.
1. The Special Request!

Disclaimer: looks at audience pointedly What do _you_ think? I don't own anything, really.

WARNINGS: Mild language (because they do mildly cuss in the anime/manga, mom.), plus, AU.

Note:

Teme- Bastard.

Dobe- Idiot.

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Dai 1 Wa - The Special Request!

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Uzumaki Naruto was a very unique child in many ways. He was hardly the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but could spawn a pretty decent strategy in a tight situation. In public places, he was loud; and his in-your-face attitude had tendency to annoy the living daylights out of most people. Alone with no family from the day he was born, Naruto naturally had to defend, and teach himself. Which basically led to very odd happenings, indeed.

For example, at the moment, the blonde bombshell was clumsily bounding from rooftop to rooftop, narrowly avoiding a deadly fall, cursing the heavens and… trying to get dressed.

Granted, the first ten seconds of his morning were normal enough. Trapped in a dreamy haze and burying his face into his pillow to avoid the harsh rays of the sun, mentally begging for just a few more minutes… but of course, the nagging _thing_ in the back of his head persuaded him to at least turn over and look at the clock.

Damn that stupid voice. Sometimes it gave him reason to believe it had more evil intent than even the Kyuubi.

Upon discovering his presence was required at cell seven's meeting spot in less than five minutes, Naruto's body made a hasty attempt to fling himself out of the window as not to be late. Thankfully, his mind had caught up and he had just barely managed to pull his person back to the safety of his apartment.

The memories of his daily routine blurred together, and now that he thought about it, perhaps that was a good thing. Kami knew he didn't want to deal with the state of his home at the day's end. So now, here he was, sprinting for all he was worth to get to the little bridge that had become the spot where his day _really_ started. Missions were assigned, names were taken and ass was supremely _kicked._

But Naruto had yet to accomplish the task of actually _arriving._ So, instead of getting ahead of himself, the blonde teen concentrated on yanking a black tee over his head and evading getting tangled in some telephone lines.

Still zigzagging high above the streets, all but a mere flash of vibrant colors, Naruto stuffed the last handful of dry ramen into his mouth while trying not to choke. On any other day, had he been late under a slightly different set of circumstances, Naruto wouldn't have made such an extreme effort to be on time. Because, of course, the elite jounin that taught cell seven was none other than the notorious Copy-Nin Kakashi. The sole reason that Naruto was rushing was because he was going to be late… even by Kakashi's pathetic standards. He would _never _be able to live it down if that old fart showed face before he did.

With a great burst of speed, Naruto willed himself to move at a more rapid pace, bidding occupants of the street below to glance up, leaving only a over-exuberant war cry and unsettled dust in his wake.

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A pair of black eyes opened suddenly, quickly scanned the area in their line of vision, then once again closed, either satisfied with or analyzing the information. One might have assumed that Uchiha Sasuke had fallen asleep leaning against the wooden railing of the small bridge if they had missed that minute action. If he was a lesser person, he just _might_ have dozed off; no one dared bother him, (not even Sakura, who found her time better used by grumbling about 'annoyingly late teachers' and the subject of 'Naruto' in general.) Plus, he probably wouldn't even fall over. Sleeping in trees for a week on a mission did that to you. (a class B mission, actually. Sasuke had to admit, Naruto had quite a knack for sucking up to the new Hokage. That was the only possible explanation; it was deadly obvious that the woman didn't have a weak spot in her being.)

Speaking of which, Naruto was really late. He usually came trudging up the walking trail at the same time as Sakura, each from opposite sides, then Naruto would cheer out the typical 'Good morning, Sakura-chan!'. Sasuke would be relabeled 'teme' once again, (the nickname courteously given by the blonde.) Sakura would leave a sizable dent in Naruto's head for 'speaking to Sasuke-kun like that', then the waiting for Kakashi sensei would commence. Over the time that Sasuke had been teamed up with his two teammates, he had learned parts of their behavioral patterns.

For instance, if Sakura was grumbling like she was now, she was very irritable. If instead she chose to pry through Sasuke's cold layers and endeavor to strike up a conversation, there were two possible emotions. The pink haired girl was either in a pleasant, cheery mood, or worse (Kami forbid,) she was worried about the young Uchiha. Sasuke supposed that he held some kind of guilt-ridden respect for his only female team member, though. After all, she was only trying to look out for him when she could. It wasn't like she had many chances to save him while a bloody battle was orchestrated, or when his ambition to become powerful blinded him to reason…

But, nonetheless, it irked Sasuke to no end, her worrying.

At least she wasn't talking.

Kakashi sensei, however, was so open he was mysterious. Sasuke had no idea how he pulled it off, but all he knew about the man was that had a love affair with the infamous smutty book, 'Icha Icha Paradise', he enjoyed averting questions about anything remotely personal, and he rarely ever got mad. Unless he was faking… or if the jounin was protecting something dear to him. The fight in Wave Country was one of the only times Sasuke had seen his teacher really, truly serious. Heck, who wouldn't be? Kakashi sensei had just passed his first team of genin ninja, and they had been given the mission to protect the old bridge master on his way back home. Complications about the mission rating were discovered, and they revealed that the task deserved the most dangerous rating-- an A class. He had been responsible for the lives of the trio, and was ready to sacrifice himself for their safety. He had covered up by telling them to accomplish the mission and protect Tazuna-san at all costs, but the look in his eyes was undeniable. Kakashi had been truly frightened.

Yet, somehow, they had all come out of the situation stronger, and a better team. Even though, as Kakashi noted, the teamwork part didn't catch up until later.

And Naruto, well…

Sasuke's ears perked at the sound of hasty footsteps grinding on loose gravel. He calmly raised his head and spotted the said blonde shinobi making a mad dash towards Sakura and the dark haired boy. Naruto's face was twisted into an expression of mortal fear, and he was flailing his arms quite comically as he sped up the dirt path. The Uchiha spared a glance to the other side of the bridge, observing the nonchalant sensei with his silver hair seemingly sprouting up from the pages of the little orange book, as his face was doubly hid by it's covers, stroll up as though he had just wandered there by mere chance.

Which he probably had, given the man's incompetence with time.

Sasuke sighed mentally; this same routine had been played through numerous times, though with some tiny changes, (like Naruto's lateness today) for years. But now that Team Seven had 'grown up' after all three members graduated to chuunin level naught but a year ago, it was unusual for Kakashi to call a meeting. Sasuke found it quite amusing that Kakashi had yet to pass another group of genin in that year, now that his former team were all now sixteen years of age. (Well, Naruto would turn sixteen in a few months, and he always took offence of being called the 'baby' of the team.)

The Uchiha's eyes dark, and flickering in a parody of entertainment, he watched Naruto forcefully insist that he had beaten his former teacher… who, of course, wasn't listening. The blond had matured over the years, both physically and behaviorally. He was still as hotheaded as ever, still loud, still insanely stubborn. And he _still_ wore that ludicrous shade of orange, though he had since purchased some better-fitting clothes. Deciding it was a good time to end Naruto's time-wasting and rather pointless yelling, Sasuke spoke up, "Do we have a new mission, Kaka-sensei?"

Even after all that time, he still used that respectful embellishment on the man's name. And why not? Kakashi, he supposed, was still his teacher, really. When the final stage of the Sharingan was setting in Sasuke's left eye, it had hurt like hell, unlike when the first and second comma-like dots had appeared.

Naruto had been with him, training for their (successfully passed attempt at) chuunin exam. Sasuke had ground out through gritted teeth that Naruto should get Kakashi. He knew that the pain had something to do with the Sharingan, so the silvery haired man had really been the most obvious choice. Kakashi had come, inspected, and said that it was as normal as he himself could remember. The final stage was the most powerful, so it only made sense that it should hurt. Sasuke had cursed himself at needless worrying, but took a little condolence in the fact that Naruto, too, had seemed more than a bit nervous over the whole affair.

"Ano… Hokage-sama wants to see all three of you. I think she has a mission for you two." Kakashi declared, closing his book and using it to point to Naruto and Sasuke before replacing it back in his vest pocket. "And I believe she wants to initiate Sakura into the academy today, ne, Sakura?" The pink haired girl smiled brightly; she had been training hard (mostly under Lee's guidance), but had ultimately decided to help out Iruka at the academy. She had explained that she would definitely still be a part of team seven, and thus be there for her friends if needed, but, she had always thought teaching one of her more attuned abilities.

Naruto gave a happy whoop and congratulated his crush-turned-friend with a face-stretching smile. She blushed lightly when Sasuke added, good naturedly, that she was lucky Konohamaru and friends had already graduated.

Curious about the mission, Naruto pondered aloud, seemingly not caring if anyone heard, "I wonder if Tsunade no baa-chan is giving us an ANBU mission?" There was a moment of contemplative silence. "Bah! If she gives us another stupid mission like the time we had to go all the way out into the middle of nowhere to contain a _rabid bear cub_, I'm going to take over her position right away! It wouldn't have been as bad if she hadn't lied and said it was an 'important, highly dangerous' mission! Stupid old hag…" he trailed off bitterly.

Kakashi heaved a sigh, fruitlessly chastising Naruto that he shouldn't be so disrespectful, unless he wanted Hokage-sama to 'string him up by his ears'. Naruto 'harrumphed'. Sasuke snorted and sadly regarded the possibilities of getting an ANBU ranked mission…

Shortly after they had become chuunin, Naruto and Sasuke had promised each other to become stronger that year, and for many years after. Gai noted one day, feigning somberness, as he 'examined Kakashi's pupils, as his arch rival', that the two pushed each other farther than what Kakashi should allow. Kakashi shrugged it off, saying that Gai was probably just jealous that he was such a wonderful teacher. Not far off, the pair had lain, exhausted, finally feeling the aftereffects of their 4-hour sparring match. Counting a quickly devoured lunch, of course.

The jounin exam, that took place barely six months after the chuunin, was frustratingly difficult. Most people, even those that had witnessed both of the boys' powers before, had doubted them immensely. But, as Naruto was always quick to point out, they had both worked very hard, pushing their limits farther and farther each day, ever since their first stab at the chuunin selection exam. Team seven had skipped a few chances to enter, many believed it was because the boys were giving Sakura some extra time, but in actuality, it was Naruto and Sasuke who had refused their own admission. They wanted to be at their best, and after hearing that mature statement from Naruto, Sakura had redoubled her efforts. She didn't want to hold them back any longer.

So, as Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto were on stand down unless they were absolutely needed, (Naruto had done some smooth talking to Tsunade), they practiced. Hard.

They had all passed with flying colors, Sakura gained the chuunin status she needed to become a teacher, and Sasuke and Naruto moved onto the jounin and ANBU tests, together.

And, as Naruto had later put it, the ANBU test was like 'trying to tell a fresh water minnow that there are, in fact, oceans outside of it's puddle.' Sasuke really didn't want to try to understand the statement farther than face value, but he guessed that Naruto was trying to say it was damned hard. But, thankfully, they had passed. They had to help each other a lot, but in the end, they had done it.

So, even after all their accomplishments? Hokage-sama had taken a liking to handing them D-ranked missions to 'make up for all that time they took training'. Plus, the ANBU usually moved in teams, and so far, Sasuke could see no sign that the rest of the team was coming along.

Sasuke looked up to see Naruto's shoulders sag, he apparently reached the same conclusion.

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Naruto was having a really hard time restraining himself from just running over to the old hag's office. He _really _wanted to know what the mission included. And, his mind added, if Kaka-sensei decided to move any slower, he'd be going backwards. Noticing the plodding pace the group was set at, Naruto tried to get things going in his oh-so-subtle way.

"Can we please just _move_ already?! If this mission is so important, I'm sure the old ha-- I mean, Tsunade-sama would want her two top shinobi on the case right away! Ne, Kaka-sensei?" Naruto tacked on a few revering suffixes onto the names, hoping that would help.

Kakashi faked the look of deep thought, then replied, "I guess I should go find those 'two top shinobi', then, before I'm yelled at for bringing you guys, ne?"

Sakura laughed vibrantly.

Sasuke took time to perfect the art of eye rolling.

Naruto snorted in indignation.

Kakashi actually _thought._

__

'Tsunade-sama did_ say that mission was important, right? … Mou, I'm going to get yelled at for this, aren't I?'_

The little perverted voice in the back of his head looked up from it's mentally projected version of 'Icha Icha Paradise' and agreed full heartedly.

"I think we should run, then." Kakashi replied, partly to the voice, and partly to his students. Naruto gave him an uncertain look, wondered briefly why Kakashi always said random things like that, and quickly took off, challenging Sasuke and Sakura to a race.

Sasuke accepted, already a good ten meters in front of the blond.

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"Didn't I tell you specifically _not. To. Be. Late?!_" Tsunade's screech echoed heavily in Naruto's head.

Sasuke noted, with some relief for his teacher, that the man had the grace (and wits) to look ashamed.

"Well, you see, there was this parade right before I was going to cross the street…"

Sakura took a tally in a notebook she kept in her pocket. _'Two million, six hundred thousand, eight hundred and twenty… four!… Different excuses, and counting!'_ Pocketbooks, she learned from Lee, were very useful for jotting down things that one might not otherwise remember. With a cheery grin, she flipped the book closed and placed it carefully back insider her proudly worn chuunin vest.

"There was no parade! These two need to get to… to…" the woman's raging paused momentarily as she searched for some paperwork, came up empty-handed and continued "somewhere! And you had to be late!"

"Tsunade-sama? Maybe you should send Naruto and Sasuke on their way…" Sakura did her best to steer the furious woman back on the right track. Kakashi nodded to Sakura gratefully behind Tsunade's back. "… just so they aren't as late as they need be? Then you can start yelling at Kaka-sensei again." She giggled. _Someone_ needed to teach him about being on time! Sakura was just there to… help a little. Kakashi drooped into a chair, before perking up and glancing suspiciously at the window.

Sasuke promptly slammed it shut and muttered something about there being a draft.

Kakashi slumped further into the chair. "Mou, you guys are so mean to your teacher…"

Tsunade glared at the silver haired jounin, obviously still angry, but seemed to catch her bearings about what needed to be done. She shoved a bundle of cloth with Naruto and Sasuke's porcelain masks sitting on top into their arms, respectively. "Go change in that room over there, I'll write up your mission papers explaining what you are to do."

Sasuke was already gone to change, so Naruto asked for both of them, "Aren't the rest of our team coming?"

Tsunade looked up, blotching ink on the paper in her rush. Distractedly, she replied, "No, the client specifically asked for our -- don't you dare let this go to your head brat -- 'strongest and most trustworthy'. And he didn't want many sent, either. You two work well together and --"

Sakura directed the elder woman's attention back to the paperwork. "Tsunade-sama, they can read that in their mission briefing."

"Right, right…" Waving Sakura's comment off with one hand, she began scribbling on the page of official looking paper.

Sasuke returned, fully uniformed, and Naruto literally skipped off to exchange his own clothes for his ANBU outfit.

Tsunade, with a flourish, signed her name at the end of the document, made a quick job of sealing it in an envelope so that no enemy could read it, and shoved it into Sasuke's grasp. Staring at the decorated animal face of the ANBU mask, she sternly instructed Sasuke, "Burn that as…"

"…soon as we read and understand all contents, or if opposing forces attempt to read it, we _know_, you old hag!" Naruto, donning a fox-like mask, (Naruto had rolled his eyes when he saw his assigned mask, Sasuke didn't know why), appeared at his dark haired comrade's side. "Can we go now?" Although he couldn't see, Sasuke was sure that Naruto was grinning. The young Uchiha slipped the envelope into the nearly invisible seam pocket of his white vest, ready for the mission.

Sakura really envied Sasuke and Naruto for their friendship and power, but when they stood together like that, Naruto radiating his catching smiles, and Sasuke countering with his amused nonchalance, they really were a team. And she was proud to be a part of that. Even when they left her behind on long missions, they always came back and made sure to make up for the time they had lost. (Well, Naruto mostly, but Sasuke enjoyed the little outings they had, though he refused to admit it.)

Naruto sighed a final time, "We won't _die_, you old hag, I still need to be Hokage, and _he_," Naruto gestured to the stoic boy standing beside him, "needs to get his ass kicked when we train later!"

Sasuke whapped a soft fist on the back of Naruto's head in retaliation, his hand coming to rest on the blonde's shoulder.

Tsunade exhaled quietly, before looking up with a smirk. "Fine then, but first…" she stepped back to her desk, and tossed a paperweight at Naruto, who caught it easily. "… hold that for me?"

They only had time to hear Tsunade's amused cackling before a hook seemed to pull forwards, just behind the navel, and everything blurred into a rush of color…

TBC

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Woo, fun. (wrote this in about 3 hours total.)

EDIT: sorry for the double post; had to correct a few things.


	2. A New World and New Magic?

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Neon: I'm very glad that you all enjoyed my fic thus far! I didn't think there would be that much response, because it's a HP crossover. But, as it turns out, people are looking for these things! Weird. XD I'm going to reply to some reviews, now. Just some, must get on with Naruto's and Sasuke's adventure! XD

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Resisty: I really loved this review; it's not often I get a praising and helpful comment. Same goes for my art. -sweat drop- I know this story is very hard to believe, but I'm having lots of fun with it, so I don't mind. I hope the readers don't. XD And, I do have another Naruto fic, and I'm not planning on mixing it with other worlds, per say. You can read it if you like, your comments are great for helping me improve. (and, YAY, you like my writing! X3)

Mercedes no Inuarai: I know the characterization is a bit off. (Okay, a LOT, but hey. XD) And, this story was inspired by the fic, 'The Guards', so… I'm an idiot, should have mentioned that.

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DragonMaiden08: Ah! No way! You're fic is much, much, MUCH better than mine! You are the one that spurred me to write this! -huggles- And, I agree, it's going to be fun to see how they differ. I'm REALLY sorry if I seemed to be plagiarizing you, but the ANBU thing seemed so fitting. -cringes-

ANYWAY. This fic was inspired by DragonMaiden08's fic, 'The Guards'. Go read it now, it's much better than this. X3 I don't own Naruto, blah.

As for the SasuNaru thing? XD Not telling.

Since this is **AU-ish, **you will have to expect the timeline of the real plot of Naruto to be jumbled up. XD

Dai 2 Wa - A New World and-- New Magic?

The only thing running through one Uzumaki Naruto's mind at the moment was a mantra of _'I'm going to be sick, I'm going to be sick, there will be noodles all over the place and I'm going to be sick'. _Everything was a swirling rush of color, and the only thing that he was physically aware of was that he was being pulled forward, and Sasuke's body beside him.

The two ANBU were being jostled around like rag dolls, and the only comparison that Naruto could think of to describe the none-too-pleasing thrill ride was the time that Gama Oyabun had attempted to shake Naruto off his back as a means of initiation. But this was not just the wind tearing at him, it felt as though he were being jerked someplace by an invisible rope. Forcing his neck to crane so he could glance at Sasuke, the blonde was met with the Uchiha's raven-like mask.

Naruto mentally slapped himself; the old hag could sure pack a wallop, but she wouldn't try to kill them. He guessed that he could forgive her for making him want to vomit.

It didn't seem like that much time had passed in the colorful whirlpool of sound, maybe a few seconds, if Naruto really thought fairly about it. _'I wonder how long this'll take,'_ he wondered sourly.

Just as quickly as the thought had passed through his mind, Naruto and his dark-haired partner were dumped quite unceremoniously to the ground. At least it was solid, the boy reflected with a tone of mental gratitude. Sasuke nimbly caught his footing with utmost ease. What the hell kind of training did he do at home? Naruto picked himself up from his half-collapsed state on the grassy ground, glaring childishly behind his mask. Okay, so he himself wasn't known for having the greatest balance in the world. Bah, Sasuke probably just got lucky with the way he landed, that _had_ to be it.

Brushing himself off, Naruto scanned the area quickly. Miles upon miles of long, lush green grass that smelled just enough of crisp springtime to ward off lazy summer naps that one was prone to pining for in the middle of the day. They were facing a forest that looked normal enough, but something sinister crawled it's way up Naruto's spine at the sight of it, for some unknown reason. Surely, no forest could be worse than the ANBU training grounds?

Taking in the pleasant landscape with only half his senses on guard for danger, Naruto quirked a brow in curiosity at the building on his right. Tapping Sasuke lightly on the arm, and nodding towards the structure, Naruto wordlessly asked, _'what do you make of that?'._

If he had to call it anything, Naruto would have called it a cabin. But from the cabins and makeshift huts that he had seen throughout his life, Naruto thought that this thing was much too large to be so doubtlessly dubbed. It was like… a cabin on steroids. Not quite shabby, but not really a work of architectural wonder, the Uzumaki supposed that it looked structurally sound.

"Makes you wonder who's around, doesn't it?" Sasuke broke the serenity of the scene and the anticipation of the new mission with a suspicious undertone that suggested that they weren't as alone as Naruto thought. Not that Sasuke sensed anything, Naruto knew, but the Uchiha had an unbelievable sixth sense, even among ninjas.

Naruto snorted. "I think that we're trained well enough to take any wild bush man they throw at us."

"Oh, I don't think anyone will be _throwing_ him at us, not unless it's Tsunade-sama." Sasuke quipped, jerking his thumb in the direction of a large, bushy-bearded man that had just obliviously revealed himself from his place behind the monster-cabin, tending to his equally-on-steroid vegetable garden. Though Sasuke had pointed the figure out, Naruto sure wouldn't have missed the monstrosity if his partner had remained silent. The guy was _huge!_ Realizing that he was still comparing the man (for it was definitely not female) to his unnaturally large home, Naruto presumed that he'd be even bigger up close and personal.

Naruto stared at the man skeptically. "Is he our employer?" It wasn't really an opportune time to open Tsunade's briefing, as they were too unfamiliar with the situation as of now.

Rolling his shoulders in a graceful shrug, Sasuke twirled a kunai in his hand before grasping the handle in his palm, blade resting, hidden against his inner forearm. "Won't hurt to ask. It doesn't seem the hostile situation, though. I saw something about this being a long term mission in the letter. We'll most likely have time to come up with a plan and prepare." He spoke in a hushed voice, not out of suspicion of the trees behind them growing ears, but simply because that's how Sasuke was. Quiet, quick, deadly.

Sasuke sure was getting bad at planning things. _'Must be old age setting in,'_ Naruto thought sagely. "So we just walk up to him and ask, 'Hey, there! We're a couple of shinobi from Konoha village and we've been sent here without much information, can you help us?' I don't think that'll work out well, Uchiha man." Naruto jabbed a finger to Sasuke's chest for emphasis on his sarcasm.

The stylized raven face stared back at him, the dark eyes within glinting, plainly expressionless. "That'll about do it, actually." Sasuke pulled back into his own personal bubble once more, and began walking through the thick, twisting locks of grass to the cabin, about 20 yards off.

Naruto blinked, then chased after his comrade, blocking his path. "Idiot, we're ANBU, here! Or have you forgotten? We're representing Konoha here, and you just want to _walk _up to the guy and ask where to go like some… some rookie?" Naruto spluttered incredulously. They were the best of the best, next to the Hokage! The elite! They were supposed to do something more impressive than _that_; what Sasuke was going to do. They had to live up to the ANBU name! They had to… to…

"What?" Sasuke queried lightly, "You want me to put his cabin up in flames, cut up his vegetables with some kunai, then flash the Sharingan around?" This was all said in a patient, conversational tone, so unlike the moody, dark-haired boy from a few years back. Sasuke knew that Naruto held the ANBU name with just as much respect as the Hokage title, and that his blonde cohort took these jobs seriously. But so did Sasuke.

"No!" Naruto protested, "that wasn't what I meant! But… _argh!_ You know what I'm getting at, right?" Naruto asked almost plaintively.

"Yes, I do." Sasuke reassured him. "But being calm and patient and keeping your trump card until later is important too." Smiling somewhat ironically behind his mask, Sasuke knew that he sounded much more mature than the blonde. He was patient, stealthy and powerful, he knew that, too. But Naruto had such raw power and determination and unbridled _pride_ in what he did, they were learning from each other, still.

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'Only I speak my teachings, and he carries them out through his actions.' Sasuke pondered. Just Naruto being himself was enough for his righteous morals to rub off on people, if not just a little bit. Plus, Sasuke was barely ever apart from the other, they were like night and day, but weren't the sun and the moon usually thought about in the same instance, no matter how different they were?

Naruto seemed to get the message, so he adjusted his mask and fell into step beside Sasuke. Even though the younger of the two seemed to be very childish, (and, in truth, he was) he was also a very skilled ninja. Anyone who didn't know Naruto may have assumed that he was only trying to fool his enemies by lulling them into a false sense of security, but Sasuke knew better than that. Naruto was very serious, but only when the need arose. Inside, Naruto was still a kid at heart, and the Uchiha highly doubted that he'd ever fully grow out of it.

Raising a hand in greeting, Naruto called out to the enormous stranger when they neared the cabin that was, presumably, his. "Hey!"

The shaggy figure rose from caring for a row of turnips, and turned to face the duo, blinking in slight surprise. Sasuke assessed him in a quick glance. If he stood on Naruto's shoulders, Sasuke may have been able to converse with the man at eye level. Plus, you could probably hide behind the guy pretty easily, too.

"Who're you two, if you don' mind me askin'?" The unkempt giant wiped his hands on a matted fur overcoat, then offered it in a handshake that could probably crush all the bones in either of the boys' small frames. If they allowed it, of course.

Sasuke gingerly pulled out Tsunade's envelope from his vest, flicking open the seal as Naruto calmly and automatically intervened between the stranger and the information. Skimming the text quickly, his brain memorized the words even without his consent. Sasuke folded the paper back inside the envelope and put it back inside the pocket to destroy in private.

"We're looking for an 'Albus Dumbledore'." Sasuke sidestepped the original question with authoritative ease. Naruto backed up to his previous spot beside Sasuke.

Looking the pair up and down with his glittering black eyes, there was a deep frown set in that hairy face. "Yer not Death Eaters, are you? Let me see yer faces." He was clearly suspicious of them, but what in the world was a Death Eater?

'Probably some organization, like Akatsuki.' Sasuke concluded in his head.

Naruto spoke this time, serious. "Are you with or against Albus Dumbledore?" He had caught on, figuring out who this Dumbledore was; their employer. The stranger hesitated ever so slightly.

Even though neither truly felt it, they both knew that they looked very intimidating. The masks held a certain sense of power and authority, let them hide themselves, or show their true colors and make people think that they were faking. The intricately designed pieces of porcelain were mighty shields; tools in a shinobi's mind games. Again, something about uniform made people instantly wary. It made them part of a group, a unit. One's mind quickly assumes that parts of the same unit will act together, in the same way; but then one realizes that under the clothes they are individuals, each dangerous in their own right and method.

It wasn't just to signify rank, uniforms were mind tricks at the most subtle level.

"With Dumbledore, of course. Great man." Sasuke smirked behind the mask, this person stood beside his morals. Naruto and himself could have been ordered to kill this Dumbledore person and whoever was involved with him, and the stranger knew that, but told the truth anyway. Knowing the risk, but still taking it.

"We've been sent to assist Albus Dumbledore; can you take us to him?" Sasuke twisted a rude command into a polite request.

A look of enlightenment came over the man's face. "Ah, so you two are… I see now, m' apologies." He offered his huge hand in a civil manner that belied his appearance.

Sasuke folded his arms, but Naruto shook hands in a renewed greeting. Good. Formalities were over, at least for now. This was where the axe fell and the game begun.

"He'll be glad ye came, we need all the help we can get… Name's Rubeus Hagrid, by the way. But everyone calls me Hagrid, so may as well stick to that." He was trusting them. They were expected. Tsunade's letter was lacking in detail of any kind, so Sasuke took it upon himself to squeeze some information out of this giant called 'Hagrid'.

"What do you do here, Hagrid?" Sasuke kept his voice even and impassive. Assuming since Hagrid had chose the words 'with Dumbledore' that there was some sort of group assembled, thus meaning one was to have a position in said group.

Leading the pair through the garden gate and down a thin, worn path, Hagrid replied with a proud tone, "I'm the Keeper of the Keys and grounds at Hogwarts, thank ye fer askin'."

Naruto paused in hid-step, a very nasty mental image of a genetically mutated hog covered with large, pus-filled warts passing through his mind. "…Hog warts?" He ventured with a measured quality to his voice.

"Yeah," Hagrid confirmed, then continued, "finest wizardry school in England, no doubt about it." There was still an undertone of pride as Hagrid spoke these words, beaming at the ANBU before turning and leading them back down the trail.

Naruto struggled to keep from bursting out. Wizardry? Who the hell ever heard about _wizardry, _in the name of all things good and holy! As Sasuke stepped past him, Naruto couldn't help but mutter in a quick, disbelieving voice, "Mou… but there's no such thing as a real _wizard,_ right, Sasuke?" Surely those people in fairy tales that aided the king and read books and cast spells were just that; fairy tales? The bushy woodsman was joking; he had to be. There were no such thing as---

"Maybe one would think the same of shinobi." Naruto snapped his gaze to Sasuke's mask, blue eyes wide behind his own porcelain façade.

Maybe it was the way Sasuke's forever emotionless voice held but a tinting of surprise. maybe it was the way the soft wind ruffled his golden spikes, or how the grass brushed his leg, so much like home, but in the same instance so very foreign and unfamiliar. Maybe it was the way Hagrid's animal fur boots ground up the path. Nonetheless, his eyes gradually traveled up to observe a very large, old looking castle.

Naruto was very glad he had his mask on, it would have been embarrassing to gawk on the job.

TBC

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Neon: Er… yes, my name is Neon. XD It's actually what some people call me, so I'll stick with this. Short, filler, but I updated!

You guys don't know how much I love you for the reviews. ;o; Keep it up, it usually guilts me into writing if you leave constructive reviews. -grin, sweat drop- just don't leave the ones that say: 'liked it. UD, plz' or something. So frustrating…


	3. The Greatest Enemy of All!

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Neon: You guys rock. I never expected to get so many reviews for a measly two chapters. I am so unworthy.

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Warnings: AU, mild language, _messed up Naruto timeline_, and thus, so hand in hand comes the out of character situations. Just try to block out the nit-picky little details of Naruto, because I'm not really going for that. Writing is about weaving your own world, even if it is fan fiction. And I'm having a hard time on how I want to portray Sasuke, so please bear with me. XD;;

And, oh yes. I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter.

Word attempt: 3962 (for this chapter, not the author's note. XD)

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Dai 3 Wa - The Greatest Enemy of All!

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The castle was beyond huge. Sasuke was used to large structures. He lived in the Uchiha compound, after all, which was only rivaled in size by the Hyuuga family complex.

Sasuke had received many curious looks from the villagers and his fellow ninja when he had decided to move back into the abandoned Uchiha grounds. Not that he had let that deter him in the slightest; he had gotten more than a few people stopping to look at him wonderingly over the last few years.

That span of time had been rough for the raven haired teenager, to say the least. With Naruto advancing in leaps and bounds, Sasuke had felt as though his blonde counterpart was dancing around him, unknowingly taunting the Uchiha. Every time he had learned a new jutsu, Naruto had learned two or three more that were completely unrealistic for the dunce to have memorized. Their verbal clashes and exchanges of a few harsh words had escalated to physical combat; and sometimes, it was more than just a spar to let off steam.

All Sasuke had wanted was to kill that man so his family could rest. So that he could execute revenge and justice in a situation no one else dared to think of, let alone attempt to face Uchiha Itachi.

But for that, he had needed power. If Naruto, the village idiot, for lack of a better term, was beating Sasuke at nearly everything they did, what chance did the youngest Uchiha have against his brother? The brother that graduated from the Academy when most of his peers were still having trouble organizing their weapons (and for some, tying their shoes)? The brother that got his Sharingan at the young age of eight, and only a bare two years later would be promoted to Chuunin?

Sasuke was called the number one rookie of his year, but that meant absolutely nothing to him, nor did it hold any supremacy outside of the classroom. That title was something to look back on and remember, not something to dwell on and boast about.

Orochimaru was a snake in the Eden of Konoha, and Sasuke had nearly accepted the forbidden fruit.

The Sannin had been a little more tactical in the way he presented the offer of limitless power to Sasuke. Giving the Uchiha but a morsel of the strength he could obtain through the curse seal, Sasuke was left hungered for more. Orochimaru had been ready, dangling a promise of more potential in front of Sasuke's face. The only trade off was having to betray his companions, become a missing nin, and let the snake invade his body, control his mind, leaving whatever was left of Sasuke to rot in the back of his own head.

Sasuke mocked himself internally now, for at the time, the consequences had seemed reasonable. If he had to sell his soul to the devil and walk amongst a future full of could-have-been dreams with someone else behind the wheel, it was alright - as long as Itachi was dead.

But what was the point of throwing his life to a pit of cobras if Itachi's death was not brought by his own hand, in his own way? Why let Orochimaru live the only ambition he had? There was no guarantee that Sasuke would succeed on his own, but at the very least, he could take some small contentment in the fact that he had failed because it was his own power that fell short. If _he_ could not kill that man, _he_ would die trying.

Gaze wandering upwards to the massive stone staircases that curved curiously and moved of their own accord above him, Sasuke looked to Naruto. He held no malice, no ill wishes to him now. He was a valuable ally, and a precious friend. Naruto was one of the few people Sasuke knew he would give his life for, without a moment's hesitation.

It was because of Naruto that Sasuke called Konoha 'home' once again. Though Sasuke had left Orochimaru before anything could have happened, Tsunade still wasn't going to forgive him so readily. But Naruto had had faith in his dark-haired cohort, no matter on what dangerous ground that faith found it's roots.

Sasuke was forbidden to go on any solo missions, and he had to report in to Tsunade, Shizune or Kakashi every three days if there wasn't a mission and he was home alone. This deal was easily accepted; giving up a little personal freedom was unimaginably better than giving up his self as a whole. At least the Hokage had been lenient enough to let him continue to rise in ranks, even with the restrictions.

Even after all that, Sasuke felt no shame for the selfish path he had nearly devoted his life to. Rather, he had considered what had happened, and thought himself very pleased with the outcome.

It wasn't every day that the Sannin who had a knowledge base of thousands of jutsu taught you some of his most taboo (and admittedly interesting) techniques to try and sweeten the pot. Orochimaru must have been desperate to make sure Sasuke would hang around; he had to make sure the young Uchiha stayed for three years -- the time when he could next transfer into another body. Simply containing Sasuke wouldn't have worked, the black-haired boy had needed to feel that he was there of his own will.

A little time alone to think, and a slight change in said will was all it took for Sasuke to return to the Leaf Village.

Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if Kabuto had managed to get another cheap bit of Tupperware to stuff Orochimaru's soul into yet.

At any rate, Sasuke at least put some effort into trying to erase that part of his past, no matter how nonchalantly he viewed the whole ordeal. Seeing everyone squirm when he walked by was discomforting, yet smugly satisfying to the small part of him that still craved sinful tribute to the Uchiha name. But watching Sakura -- and sometimes even Kakashi -- glance at him worriedly if his temper rose higher than his normal level of cold aloofness… He wanted to gain their trust back, if not at the point it was when they had first met, (which Sasuke knew was asking for the moon), then at least so they did not treat him like a bomb that would go of at any given second.

And Naruto… he had offered nothing more than rude names, bouts of sparring and annoying wake up calls at the crack of noon. (The sense in this would forever remain a mystery to all; Sasuke was always up before dawn anyway.)

Naruto, that idiot, had to be the person that grated on his nerves more than everyone in the village put together. More than Sakura and her worried green eyes, more than Kiba's gruff annoyance, more even than Kakashi's 'everything is normal but I'm still not teaching you anything dangerous -- and please don't run with scissors you might poke your eye out and end up lowering Konoha's population in the aftermath' attitude.

The blaring orange, and the even louder voice that accompanied was so familiar. It wasn't fake, either. Sasuke never thought Naruto much of an actor -- outside of the smiles he'd seen crack on less than a handful of occasions -- but Naruto wasn't pretending that Sasuke was dangerous. On the few rare occasions that Naruto felt that Sasuke was slacking, he'd even be bold enough to bring up Sasuke's brother. People who knew well what happened at the Uchiha compound that night would abruptly stop and watch, wary like rabbits listening for the hawk. Sasuke would merely smirk and tell Naruto off, slapping on something rude about ramen, or the Hokage name, or something of the like on the end.

Then again, Naruto was the only one who could get away with a stunt like that (relatively) unscathed. Just because he was Naruto, and there was always a bright side with him. The blonde was a precious friend that he was going to protect, no matter the price. It was about due time Sasuke paid his toll, anyway.

"What the _hell_?" Aforesaid blonde was peering rather amazedly (Sasuke could tell, even with their masks still on) at a portrait of a considerably sour looking man, complete with skinny face and twisting black goatee. His expression looked as though he did not appreciate being stared at so intensely, and, to Sasuke's mild interest, he voiced his opinion.

"I _do say_, who do you think you are--"

"Oi, Hagrid, why are there people stuck in these paintings?" Just with the tone of voice, Sasuke was forcibly reminded of a twelve-year-old Genin that was asking Kakashi-sensei about how he expected them to climb trees without using their hands.

The hulk of a man turned, then blinked a few times at Naruto's fox-like mask, seemingly trying to come up with a way to word the answer. "Aren't real people in there," he started, obviously unsure of what Naruto's question meant. "Just a charm tha' makes them able to move an' talk like the folks they're supposed to be, I think." Mentally shaking his massive head, Hagrid had to wonder who exactly Dumbledore had hired. He had no doubts in the elderly man's decisions, but these two men looked nothing more that fancily dressed _Muggles. _The blonde one was friendly enough, but the dark-haired fellow… very down to the point, grumpy, even. Probably missed his afternoon tea to come to Hogwarts, was all.

"We're nearly to Dumbledore's office, c'mon now." Hagrid turned and continued down the corridor, expecting the men to follow. Strange thing was, he couldn't tell if they were or not unless he looked over his shoulder. Usually you were aware you had people tagging along with you, especially when you _knew_ they were there.

Strange, strange men indeed.

Sasuke continued to follow the large man, only pausing for a moment to tear Naruto away from the increasingly agitated man in the picture. He had noticed that all the pictures in the colossal stairway were moving, but had thought them to be mere television screens that portrayed preset recordings. Though televisions were few and far apart in the Fire country, and also in neighboring countries, (which were used only for surveillance anyway), Sasuke knew enough about how they worked. But, as the man had a voice and interacted like a real person towards the environment at hand, Sasuke had to wonder what else the people here were capable of.

At long last, the trio came to an intricately carved statue of a bird of prey, set in a hollow in the stone wall. Hagrid ran a hand through his tousled beard, thinking quietly for a moment, before a glint came to his eyes. He had obviously remembered something. A password, perhaps?

Leaning forwards, Hagrid spoke clearly to the statue, and said, "Ton Tongue Toffees."

Naruto looked to Sasuke in mute disbelief. This was just getting weirder by the minute. Sasuke shrugged; who really cared if their employers were oddballs? It wasn't as if they had to mingle if they didn't want to. If they got the job done, that was all that really mattered.

Slowly, the stone bird moved to reveal yet another staircase. Hagrid stepped back to let the two strangers go in first. "Professor Dumbledore will be jus' in there." Naruto turned his slow gaze to Hagrid, and the giant man continued, chuckling, "go on, now, it won' bite."

Naruto's posture straightened slightly as he strode up the staircase, and Sasuke's sharp ears caught a low mutter of, "I would certainly _hope_ not… sheesh…" Arms still folded and head bowed, Sasuke followed his companion up the flight of expensive stone steps, eyes flicking up to stare at his back.

Knocking once on the heavy wood door before pushing it open, Naruto glanced shortly back to Sasuke. Walking into the large, almost dome like room after Naruto, Sasuke carefully looked around. He had a habit of taking in small details before anything else.

There were small, whirring trinkets peppered all over the room. Some emitted little puffs of smoke at periodic times, and others seemed to be having a difficult time deciding on which state of matter to stay in. Sasuke took in the tall, skinny windows, and outside of them there was a stadium of sorts, the stands elevated so that the afternoon sun touched the peaks of a few, illuminating the vibrant colors in which they were draped. Gaze slowly traveling to the center of the room, Sasuke noted the many moving, whispering, portraits that were placed above a beautiful mahogany desk, behind which an elderly man was seated.

His father and mother had discouraged such silly stories as the ones about wizards and dragons, instead opting to tell the adventures of Uchiha family members to their sons… but at any rate, the man with the long silver hair and beard, twinkling pale eyes and half-moon spectacles was the very epitome of a wizard, even in Sasuke's mind.

Sitting formally on either side of the old wizard were two people that looked to have permanently irate expressions. One was a woman with little square glasses and a tight bun that sat atop her head, clothed in robes of a forest green shade. The other was an annoyed looking man that reminded Sasuke vaguely of Orochimaru. Long, dark hair framing a wan, pale face. His dark eyes told Sasuke that he was unwelcome already.

Sasuke smirked. Oh, they were going to get along _royally._

"Thank you, Hagrid." The aged man nodded gratefully to the giant man, (Hagrid smiled and left the room, saying something about 'tending to the school projects') then glanced to the two shinobi, who looked comically out of place in the richly decorated room."Please, sit down."

The duo sat, taking the two chairs in front of the desk. Naruto decided on sitting on the side of the stern looking woman, leaving Sasuke to roll his eyes and take the place closer to the malevolent man.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," pausing for a moment, the older wizard noticed that he didn't have a way to address the two shinobi. "… I am the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and my colleagues here are Deputy Headmistress and Professor Minerva McGonagall," he nodded graciously to the woman on his left, "as well as resident Potions Master and Professor Severus Snape."

Snape glared daggers at the pair.

Sasuke smirked wider. Maybe interacting with his employers wouldn't be so bad this time, after all.

Apparently unknowing of his subordinate's less-than-courteous mannerisms, Dumbledore lowered his head and stared at the ANBU, awaiting an introduction. And, of course, Naruto never was one to pass up a chance to make his name known. The blonde grinned beneath his mask, and Sasuke fought down the urge to 'shield' himself from the exuberance his partner was radiating.

Just because Sasuke didn't want to really kill the Uzumaki anymore, didn't mean he had given up his rights to sarcasm.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, part of the elite ANBU specialist teams of Konoha village! I am also one of the strongest in the whole level of ANBU, and I'll complete this mission, whatever it takes!" Beaming happily, Naruto sat back in his chair, slinging a casual arm around the back of it.

Dumbledore chuckled lightly in good humor. "And you?" His twinkling eyes rested upon the aloof, midnight-haired young man.

"Uchiha Sasuke." So, he wasn't much for talking. Naruto did enough of that for the both of them.

"Ah, good, good. Now that we are all acquainted, let's talk business… Would anyone care for a peppermint swirl? Tea, perhaps?" As each were suggested, a platter of tea appeared, as well as a plate of red and white candies that Sasuke presumed to be aforementioned 'peppermint swirls'. Minerva seemed to be having a hard time trying to not sigh exasperatedly, and Snape's expression never switched from his patent degree of contempt. Dumbledore shrugged and popped a candy into his mouth. "Now, anyway… if I do understand correctly, where you come from, you give your surname first?"

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yeah, that's right." _'Eh… guess it's different here. I was wondering why they told us their names like that.'_

"A definite Asian influence, then. Your clothes and speaking styles show that." Sasuke's gaze lethargically snapped to Professor Snape. His tone was cold and sneering.

"Aa." The younger Uchiha agreed shortly, not wanting to converse about Naruto and his own ways of life. Irrelevant and time consuming. "What is this mission about, Headmaster?" Blatantly ignoring people was very amusing, Sasuke contemplated as he watched Snape's face draw slightly through the corner of his eye.

"Well, yes…" Dumbledore wove his fingers together and rested them on the desk. "Primarily, what needs to be done is information gathering, you could say."

"Gathering information… from whom, exactly?" Looking interested, Naruto's ears perked. He wasn't particularly good at those kinds of missions, but that only meant it was something he could improve in -- and one step closer to becoming the Hokage!

"Different student groups in the school, for the most part." Dumbledore clarified.

"Aren't there school counselors or something for that?" Naruto was doubtful again. Maybe this wasn't going to be as fun as he had thought.

Professor McGonagall's heavy accent explained, not without a dry smile to Snape, "Well, you could say that the students are… _very _cliquish. There are also deeper politics concerning the matter."

"And the secondary?" Sasuke clipped suddenly, arms still folded carefully.

"You don't miss a step, do you, Sasuke?" Dumbledore unstuck two sweets and put one in his mouth, placing the other aside for later. "There is a boy that needs to be protected, per say. He's quite capable as it is, but most of the wizarding community would rest easier if you kept your eyes on him."

Naruto nodded in understanding, waiting for more valuable information. Sasuke continued his interrogation, "How old is the boy, then?"

Dumbledore leaned back in his high-backed chair, before answering, "Harry Potter will be sixteen before the school year starts."

Sixteen? He was about the same age as Sasuke, and older even then Naruto. "If he's lived sixteen years under these circumstances, either the opposition has only just made itself known, or you are worried about the increasing strength of the adversary party."

Naruto glared evenly at Sasuke. Why did he feel the need to use such complex words? Not that they were that hard to understand, but simple words meant the same thing! _'Conceited ass.'_

"There is a lot of history scattered among this that I shouldn't expect you two to understand… how to get the story across effectively, I wonder…" Staring up at the decorated ceiling, Dumbledore appeared to be thinking long and hard about the roadblock.

True, he needed an outside view of the matter at hand, from people that weren't so involved in the subject itself so that their opinions were clouded and biased… and even the most skilled story-tellers were a little inclined towards one side of the tale. Hm.

"Headmaster, I do believe it would be convenient for our _guests _to search for whatever answers they see fit in the library. Reference sources are often less opinionated, as oppose to word of mouth." Snape snidely offered, lip curling in a small sneer that could easily be mistaken for a helpful grin, if one had selective eyesight.

Dumbledore snapped out of his self-induced thinking stupor. He clapped his hands together, as though that settled the issue, alive with an energy that belied his age. "That is a _wonderful_ idea, Severus." Naruto silently gagged, and Sasuke couldn't help but crack a fresh smirk at the pleased look that the sallow-skinned Severus was sporting. It was so painfully _predictable_. Teacher troubles people he detests (for whatever unfounded reasons) with book work. Dumbledore rattled on, "why don't you escort these young lads down to the library and help them find what they need, Severus? I know for a fact that some of our texts are a little outdated, they will undoubtedly have questions on the topic. Why, I remember when Miss Granger came to me one day in her first year and complained that she found the subject of winged hobmonglers poorly detailed--"

The Uchiha beat down the laughter that threatened to burst from his chest. Snape's plan had backfired catastrophically, or so his expressions read.

"Sir, I'm sure they'll be able to find what they need--"

Standing, Dumbledore began ushering the dark Potions expert out of his own chair, as McGonagall hid her own amused laughter behind her hand. "Oh, nonsense Severus. You know how large Hogwarts is, and we want to give these young men as long as possible to mull over everything."

Naruto leapt from his seat, ready to face whatever challenge, even if it took the form of long-dreaded reading assignment. Old woman Tsunade was always complaining about the amount of paperwork, so Naruto knew it came hand in hand with receiving the name 'Hokage'.

Coolly rising from his own perch, Sasuke unfolded his arms and glanced to Naruto. Now was as good a time as any to reveal their faces. Though it was very rare practice for ANBU members to do so, for long missions that required cooperation between the hiring group and the shinobi, it was more than necessary. There was no uncertainty in Sasuke's mind that this would be an covert task, if they were supposed to gather information. Students were more apt to discuss matters with their peers, so they had to blend in with the crowd. Somehow, animalistic masks and the form-fitting uniform stuck out in crowds.

Sasuke's mind was already reeling with possible ways to execute this job. Cutting and sectioning the data, he reasoned that they would be here for at least the whole of the school year. Naruto and himself would need to study the things that wizards already knew, the way these people acted, talked, ate… they would need to _become_ part of this society. As Professor McGonagall had inclined, there seemed to be tightly knit groups of students, and if this whole situation was woven around this Harry Potter boy, then they would have to choose wisely the cliques they would enter. But, would it be in their best interest to become students? Teachers? Or to do the not-so-obvious thing, and stick to the shadows and collect information that way, as was the norm for shorter missions?

This would take some time. He was building a plan on top of a very weak understanding of this world. He had to know the basics before he did anything else.

The fact that there was a such thing as wizardry had… astonished the young Uchiha at first, but, really, as he had told Naruto, was it really so stunning? A civilization of magical people living lives full of pixie-dust and wand-waving, right under the very noses of their contrasting counterparts. Sasuke didn't assume things too often. It was dangerous and could lead to a perfectly good strategy crumbling at its foundations. But he felt pretty safe in guessing that 'other people' didn't know about the wizarding population. The concept of magic would not be completely lost on the people at the other end of the spectrum, though… just as many regular civilians in the Fire country _knew_ about shinobi, but often would never come in contact with one their entire lives.

There were reasons that Hidden shinobi villages were hidden, after all.

"Ne, Sasuke. Time to drop the fronts, huh?" Naruto jabbed his overly serious friend with a playful elbow to the chest.

"Hn." The dark-haired shinobi agreed. "They'll need to know us, anyway. It's not like we can walk around like this when term starts.

"Which is, September the first, by the way." Dumbledore supplied cheerily, disregarding a very upset looking Potions master's half-glares.

The pair quickly unbound the cloth that held their masks in place, carefully cupping their respective porcelain masks in their hands to be sure they didn't drop. Naruto grinned like an idiot at the adults, and Sasuke simply let them memorize his face, expecting the feeling of prying eyes.

What he hadn't expected was Professor McGonagall's startled, hitching breath.

Sasuke looked to her calmly and Naruto looked down at himself, checking to see if he had something on his uniform that would merit such a reaction.

"You boys… you cannot be more than eighteen years!" Minerva looked to be a strict woman, but she seemed sincerely shocked that they were so young.

Naruto looked up to her and blinked confusedly. What was her problem with that? So, they were both pretty young to be on the ANBU team, but so what? That only meant that his hard work had paid off!

"Ne, Professor," Naruto beamed, "I'm fifteen. Do we really look that old?" Hell, he would be able to have some sake with Gama Oyabun so that the deal was official, then!

Well… if everyone didn't know his real age. Damn.

But, at Naruto's statement, even the sour Snape had to raise his brows. Taking it he had said something wrong, the blonde tried to encourage the three adults of his ability. "But… don't worry about it, really! We've been doing this kind of thing since we were twelve! Ne, right Sasuke?" He laughed nervously and turned to the Uchiha.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes." And since the idiot had already sent the snowball rolling, who was he to refuse his chance to give it a decent shove? "We've been training for this stuff since we were old enough to spell our names, we're more than qualified." Deducting that now was a capital time to make an exit, Sasuke pulled Naruto from the room, leaving with no more than a, "Well, Professor Snape, we'll wait outside."

As the stone bird rolled back into place and Naruto wondered just where he had gone wrong, Sasuke let slip a tired sigh. It was going to be a _long_ year.

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Neon: If that doesn't keep you guys pacified… er… something. XD

There were a few questions that I thought it would be good to answer…

Language difference: I really think this is overrated. Naruto is not set in a strictly Japanese setting, but instead, and alternate universe. The 'Asian influence' I mentioned is about that. Because the show was made in Japan, there are those influences there. The speaking style, (not just language!) and the food, etc. This is a good thing to point out, but I think that when stories make a huge point of putting a spell on the character or something, it takes away from the plot.

YOU TAKE SO LONG TO UPDATE: … oops. XD I'm not a big writer, guys. Only when I want to.

Out of character Sasuke: … SHH.

Ja! Please review! XD


	4. Power of the ANBU Snake vs Fox!

**Neon: **Man, I really seem to be scaring you guys when I ask for you to please refrain from asking for updates. The only thing that gets me mad is if that is the ONLY thing you say! XD If you have a nice comment or two, you are totally allowed to tell me to update. I know I should be doing it more often.

**Warnings:** AU, mild language, _messed up Naruto timeline_, and thus, so hand in hand comes the out of character situations. Just try to block out the nit-picky little details of Naruto, because I'm not really going for that. Writing is about weaving your own world, even if it is fan fiction.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Harry Potter.

**Note:** I will do my very best to IGNORE the sixth Harry Potter book's plot.

And oh my god I'm so sorry it took me so long to get this done. I have been so freaking busy lately. D: I just started high school, and I had a job for a while, and I was NOT neglecting the story. XD I BARELY HAD TIME TO DO HOMEWORK. But I'll try and make this like SUPER long okay don't kill me I like breathing. D:

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Dai 4 Wa - Power of the ANBU! Snake vs. Fox!

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Sasuke had read someplace, at some very irrelevant point in his life, that it only took two seconds after meeting a person to decide if you would get along with them or not.

Had he been a simpleminded, single celled twit, incapable of more complex thought patterns that were common attributes of most humans… he may have believed it. But Sasuke had a very corrupt set of morals and personality quirks, so who was he to say anything?

The very few people that actually held a certain amount of influential status in his life, he _did_ bother to figure out if he was to give a grudging respect, or hate them with a passion. Sometimes a mix of both, he decided, if you considered Naruto. (Sasuke usually made a point to _not_ consider Naruto in his musings; the idiot messed up his carefully filed emotions and thoughts without even _knowing_, damn him. It was easier just to grant him a folder to himself, under the heading '_Unexplainable Oddities of the Known Universe' _and be done with it.)

Sasuke acknowledged few people, and those not on the list received a large dose of Uchiha 'I don't give a flip'. Indifference was one emotion that Sasuke was very proud to have uncanny expertise in. He wasn't a total ice cube if he could display emotion; even if said emotion _was _admittedly able to be produced by inanimate objects. Like rocks. And ice cubes.

Regardless, Sasuke knew that he -- somewhat -- hated Severus Snape. The older man was going to be snide, unhelpful and sarcastic for the entire mission, taking advantage of the fact that he knew more about wizardry than either Sasuke or Naruto.

But then again, it was _damn _funny to rile him up. Sasuke blamed it entirely on genetics. The Uchiha sadistic streak ran in his family.

By the time they had reached the library, Sasuke had effectively snubbed Snape's questions and remarks a grand total of thirteen times. How ominously lucky.

Speaking of luck, Sasuke considered that they were very lucky to still be on this mission after McGonagall had insisted that the 'children' be sent back. Not that he cared terribly about which missions he was assigned, but the Uchiha heir found it degrading on his pride as both an Uchiha and a dignified shinobi to be referred to as such. Naruto and himself had been fighting for their county, expected to die if need be, since preteen hood. Though still undeveloped and unskilled, at the age of twelve, they had become adults in some form of the word. Hell would freeze over and Lucifer would perform the triple Lutz before Uchiha Sasuke chose to be indifferent to such actions. They were not children. Children could sparsely care for themselves, let alone be hired to protect or kill others. He knew that much from past experience.

It had wasted a considerable amount of time to finally convince McGonagall to give them at least a chance to prove themselves before they were shipped back to Konoha, and a better team was assembled. Sasuke knew that they were very young compared to the average ANBU members, and that Naruto and he both had their own personality problems. Naruto was annoying, loud and stubborn (as per usual), though he was also understanding and quick to come up with good, (albeit outrageous) plans. He wasn't Konoha's number one unpredictable ninja for nothing.

Snape was watching the pair like a hawk while they picked random books off the shelves. Sasuke could barely see above what he had already collected, so nodded at certain, interesting looking volumes for Naruto to grab. Deciding that both of their armloads would be enough material for one day, Sasuke set off to find a spare table that wasn't covered in dust.

And Sasuke… well, he was quite aware of his disposition of a moody, pyromaniac, (only slightly) snake-like, 'do I _look _like I care?', former missing nin Uchiha. (Though being an Uchiha in itself was enough to explain most of his eccentricities.)

But Kakashi would walk around without his mask on before you could find a better matched team. Uzumaki and Uchiha were frighteningly powerful _apart_, but together… well, no one wanted to meet them in a dark alley if the duo were sent on the prowl.

The Idiot and The Prodigy. The Chatty and The Mute. The Sun and The Moon.

They were virtually unstoppable for one, simple reason: Together, they were perfection. Whatever one was lacking, the other made up for in extremes.

Cracking open the first book in his towering pile that threatened to spill over the small table, Sasuke barely took in the title on the front cover. It didn't much matter; they needed as much information as possible. Glancing over to Snape, and seeing that he wasn't going to relent any time soon, the young Uchiha let his Sharingan flash in his eyes, pleased when the man's own eyes widened then narrowed into surprised slits.

He really, truly wasn't letting his subtle inner sadist take over. Really. The Sharingan was great for memorizing things other than jutsu, after all. It enabled him to read much faster, and once he read it, the information would be stored in his unnaturally large memory bank until he died, or was hit with a freak case of amnesia. The whole 'I look like a demon ha ha' thing was just a really enjoyable side effect. His hair was dark, which wasn't really all that uncommon, but it contrasted so heavily with his paper white skin, that he looked even paler than he already was. Living underground with Orochimaru and Kabuto hadn't really invoked a tan, after all. (Not that he _would _have tanned, anyway. Uchiha genes, and all.) To date, he had been called a demon, the devil, even a vampire, and many variations of such. All these names came from petty criminals that were scared stupid just because a ninja was within a three mile radius of themselves, so they didn't know about the Uchiha blood limit.

Although… Sasuke didn't do much to discourage the theories. Another point up for the sadist in him.

"Cheater." Sasuke barely caught the sideways mutter Naruto sent him. The teen glowered half-heartedly at Sasuke's red eyes.

Letting the comma-like dots spin and reverse around his pupils, the Uchiha smirked lightly and replied, "It isn't _my _fault that I have them. We have to do our best on every mission." Sasuke settled on the back two legs of his rickety chair, keeping balance with one foot while his other leg was draped over his knee to supply an adequate spot to rest the thick text. "My best just coincidentally happens to be better than yours at the moment."

Naruto exercised his vocabulary very colorfully, before slamming the thickest book in their selection open on the table and beginning to pour over the first page. Sasuke highly doubted he was taking the time to understand what he was reading. "I'll read _twice_ as much as you, you bastard! Even with those damnable eyes of yours!"

Slowly flipping a page, and languidly rocking on the back legs of his chair, Sasuke let his eyes do the work for him. They were information hungry little vacuums, sucking up anything they didn't already know and storing it in his head. It was relatively easy, then, to keep up a conversation with Naruto while he read.

While Naruto silently bickered, and squinted at unfamiliar words, Sasuke had to admit that maybe… '_perfect' _wasn't the best way to describe them. But he was pretty sure he could survive with what they had.

After all, who knew the faults of perfection better than he?

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Once the two ANBU had read their fills of book material, they headed down to the front lawns of the castle with Snape, where a meeting with Dumbledore and McGonagall had been previously arranged. Here, they would conduct a simple spar (perhaps a little more flashy and audience orientated than what a real battle would be) to show the adults what they were capable of.

Not that he really cared, but Sasuke had been finding the texts very intriguing. He could have (and probably _would _have) continued his reading far into the evening, if it had not been for the short attention span of one particular blonde. Even though Naruto had put his all into reading more than Sasuke, he couldn't make himself like the task. Naruto just wasn't a book reader. So, Naruto had stopped reading, and imaginative as he was, he couldn't think of anything else to do in a library.

And, eventually, he had become a right pain in the neck. No matter if Sasuke had his Sharingan or not, he just refused to put up with Naruto's incessantly loud sighing, fiddling and general reeking of boredom. So Sasuke had agreed that it was about time to go down to the grounds, even if they were a little early. Keeping Naruto in a library was like trying to keep a Chihuahua that got into the sugar stores penned inside the house.

Possible, but not very smart.

Sasuke glanced down to the glassy lake, somewhat surprised to see Dumbledore and the Deputy Headmistress already there, Dumbledore seemingly just enjoying the scenery while McGonagall tapped her foot in mild impatience.

Coincidence? Not in Uchiha Sasuke's lifetime. Dumbledore must have had some way of seeing what was going on around the school. It was practical; how else would one Headmaster keep thousands of preteens and teenagers in check?

Paranoid? Him? No, never. Sasuke preferred to call it… well placed suspiciousness. After all, the more he knew about _anything _the better off he was. So it was more like curiosity, anyway.

Sasuke was always aware of everything that was going on around him, and then some. For example, right now, he could tell that Naruto was pumped up for a good fight with him. This didn't happen often on scales that either would have liked, so they both took what large spars they could get. Tsunade had _strongly _suggested that they don't turn their spars into '_All out damnable landscaping expeditions'_, but sometimes that was very hard to heed. Not for lack of trying, though, but some of their jutsu (especially Sasuke's; he refused to tell anyone that he had learned with Orochimaru, not without a hint of a smirk. They would find out when he was in combat.) were just plain old _designed _to destroy things right down to their subatomic particles.

And that was even after they were forbidden from using Rasengan and Chidori on each other.

Sasuke was also aware of the fact that Tsunade-sama wished nothing more than to be able to viciously murder her two former teammates for teaching them such jutsu. Having Naruto and Sasuke running around was the equivalent of having the full grown power of the two male Sannin unleashed unto the village. But the two were younger and had a lot more stamina, and Tsunade was another matter. She may have been able to keep her little cell in order with her commanding attitude when she was a teenager, but she was getting too old to do it all over again.

This, Sasuke knew.

This, Sasuke's knowledge and power, his attitude on life, Tsunade was concerned about.

Sasuke knew he was a threat, and so did she. The youngest Uchiha and the Fifth Hokage barely ever exchanged words, but that was the extent of their relationship. Both retaining equal information on the subject, and both knowing the other knew.

Vaguely alert about Snape's careful, pinpoint gaze on the back of his head, and even more aware about Naruto's bubbly demeanor brought on by the upcoming fight, Sasuke watched a large, dark form grow underneath the surface of the lake.

'_That thing… would make one hell of a calamari dish,' _was Sasuke's first thought upon seeing the suction-cupped appendage of what was undoubtedly a squid break the surface of the lake.

Naruto obviously _did_ have a big effect on the Uchiha's thought patterns, after all.

He watched it as it swirled the tip of it's tentacle about, as though… testing the air? It made sense. Perhaps it was planning on coming up to bask in the sun later.

As Snape, Naruto, and Sasuke neared the two professors at the lakes edge, Dumbledore greeted them warmly, as though they had not just met that morning, but had been close acquaintances for the entirety of the teen's lives. Naruto queried as to what sort of things the adults were 'testing' them on.

Dumbledore explained pensively that there were many dangers that they would be facing. And, by the way, had they read about the wizard that was the epitome of the problems, Lord Voldemort?

"Yes, we did," Sasuke replied nonchalantly. He had forced a book under Naruto's nose and watched him read every word on the lengthy article. "He doesn't sound terribly dangerous, by all points and purposes."

McGonagall and Snape stared at him, subtly flabbergasted, as though the Uchiha had just uttered a very dirty swear word. Dumbledore, the odd man he was, just smiled benignly and clasped his hands in front of himself, nodding absently. "I am eager to witness the skills you deem fit to show us, then, with those courageous attitudes towards such a feared wizard. But, then… I do always say that it is the fear that you supply something with that makes it all that more frightening."

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded shortly, agreeing with the little bit of philosophical insight. But it was high time that he got to grind Sasuke's overly smug self into the dirt. Grinning wickedly to himself, Naruto leaned to the side a little, so he could see Dumbledore from behind his view of Sasuke's back. Making eye contact with the elderly man, Naruto gave him a curious look, hoping he was setting something along the lines of 'can we start now?' to the Headmaster. If there was one thing he had learned over the years, it was that a ninja _did _actually have to be sneaky once in a while to get the upper hand on his opponent.

Of course, not that he _needed_ to gain the upper hand against _Sasuke_, of all people, but once a prankster, always a prankster, on some level.

Dumbledore gave a vague nod, as though he wasn't quite sure of the question in the first place, but figured that 'yes' would be an appropriate answer, as it was in many cases of the initial query flying straight over one's head.

Naruto grinned foxily, blue eyes crackling with suppressed unpleasantness.

Sasuke rolled his eyes patiently and ducked Naruto's painfully predictable punch. The dark haired boy rolled out of the vicinity of the three adults, half to take advantage of the wide open fields, and half to make sure no one was accidentally decapitated.

Only partially paying attention to Naruto's annoyed bantering, the Uchiha continued to dodge and block his attacks. He had no intention of taking this seriously until Naruto stopped using half assed punches. Sasuke found this annoying; what was the point of playing around?

It wasn't until Naruto's foot came launching out of nowhere that Sasuke really started to pay attention. The powerful kick just glanced off the side of his ribcage, partially cushioned by the ANBU vest. Sasuke had managed to turn just in time, and didn't doubt that he'd be nursing a few bruised -- if not broken -- ribs, had he been any later. Naruto hit _hard_.

Leaping backwards by a fair margin, one that allowed room for either midrange or long distance assault, Sasuke formed the familiar seals that he had memorized, alone in his complex, many years ago.

Naruto paled substantially.

"_Katon: Hôsenka no Jutsu!_"

Scalding hot chakra built up deep in Sasuke's lungs, bursting from his lips in a controlled flow that made his fingers tingle and his senses flare. Fierce red-orange flames glowed angrily over the sweet smelling grass, a miniature army of beach ball sized infernos zinging towards the blonde shinobi. Sasuke wasted no time in following up, a kunai withdrawn from his leg holster with a flick of his wrist, ready to catch the rebound if Naruto managed to evade the Uchiha specialty element.

Naruto joined his hands in a different set of seals, standing his ground with stubborn overconfidence, even with the barrage of flame so close he could feel the stinging heat warm his face and cause his eyes to water.

Narrowing his eyes, trying to decipher Naruto's movement, Sasuke managed to pick out a few distinctive seals from the blur of tanned skin. Water jutsu. Not being able to stop his smirk, Sasuke wondered just how simple the blonde thought his attacks were.

Whatever attack Naruto shouted, Sasuke was unable to catch the name of it, for a huge jet of water was screaming towards him, from his right, in a torrent of deceptively calm shades of blue. He had not expected Naruto to harness the resource of the lake; water style jutsu were not his thing. Dark eyes narrowing slightly in a speedy calculation of the momentum of the water and his own body, Sasuke noted that he would have to somehow counter Naruto's counterattack. His fire technique was rushing towards Naruto, and the blonde was assuming that his water jutsu would be quick enough to save him.

If the younger Uchiha were to ever give out a piece of advise that he had learned through his own life, it would be to _never _assume anything.

Before Naruto could even blink, the dark haired shinobi had flickered, disappearing into midair. The blonde cursed mentally, and prepared to dodge Sasuke's fireballs-- they were getting a _little_ too close for comfort. Crossing his arms defensively in front of his face, and lowering into a crouch more reminiscent of the fox in him than anything else, Naruto noticed that the fire jutsu was shimmering a little more than fire ought to.

"God _dammit, _Sasuke!"

Sasuke's image reappeared, in front of the broad stream of chakra-laced liquid, more seals flashing together. He outstretched his arms in front of him, palms out and overlapping, elbows locking. Had Naruto even found time between evading the shuriken hidden in the flames, and cursing his temporary enemy, he still would have missed the smirk, lost amongst the deafening explosion of water.

The tiny droplets, while mist like and soft in appearance, pelted down upon everything nearby with a thunderous roar; a sudden, raging storm bathed in sunlight.

Dumbledore watched in interest and conjured a momentary Impervius charm around himself and the other two teachers, deflecting the violent flow of water. No sense in getting all wet; the lemon drops in his pocket would be spoiled!

When the downpour finally relented and calmed around the two combatants, Naruto found himself backed against a tree, sopping wet, several shuriken embedded into the bark at very close quarters to his person. Very _uncomfortable_ close quarters to his person.

Unsurprisingly, Sasuke found himself exactly as he wanted to be found. Dry and smirking, a transparent, near invisible wall shimmering with a running sheet of water. The wall glowed a vague, dim blue, and stretched far up and over the Uchiha's head.

The raven-haired boy crossed his arms and waited, lips curling in amusement, as Naruto tore the shuriken from his formfitting clothes and stomped the short distance up to him.

Sasuke didn't let his irritation about Naruto easily towering over him show. So what if he was a little shorter than average?

Naruto stared at the not-exactly-there structure behind Sasuke.

"You made a wall."

Sasuke inclined his head fractionally. "Yes."

"A wall."

"Yes."

"Of chakra."

"… Yes."

"A wall of --"

"_Yes,_ Naruto. _Chakra._"

"…A wall of--"

"--Chakra."

"Yes, Chakra-- that could stand up to that blast."

The Uchiha turned his head slightly so he could look over his shoulder at the high, bordering on intangible wall.

"… It would appear so."

Well. This was new.

Naruto put his hands on his hips and glared down at Sasuke; no doubt a method of intimidation he had subconsciously picked up from Iruka. "And what _else _can you do that you didn't tell me about?" Naruto clamored in a tone that was also semi adopted from their old teacher.

Pausing to consider the question for a moment, Sasuke replied, "I think… the solid chakra formations are the least of your problems, if you're getting so worked up over it. You weren't the only one training for those three years, you know." He shrugged.

Even though he was putting up a front, Sasuke did not see Naruto's surprised annoyance as misplaced. It was an extremely difficult task to learn now to solidify your chakra and mold it to your will. Puppeteers were probably most adapt for that kind of technique, because they had to use chakra strings. But that was only a very basic knowledge of the formation process. Though Sasuke himself was not yet perfect at the jutsu, (he could not hold the structure for more than minutes at a time, and detailed objects always crumbled when he attempted them), he was slowly honing his abilities. He didn't know why Naruto was so worked up anyway; Rasengan was a ball of solid chakra. Yet, even that was different from forming a wall or a spike or a rod. The Rasengan was constantly spinning, and although controlled to some extent, it was still very wild in it's motion. Chidori was almost the same, always sparking off and spastic.

"The least of my problems, huh?" Naruto's voice foretold of a long tirade, a pointless waste of Sasuke's time, no doubt. This was not a huge deal, after all! Sasuke barely knew of any of Naruto's new jutsu either, so it was pretty much even. "Yeah, I guess I don't have much to worry about…"

Looking up curiously at the blonde's sudden change of tone, Sasuke's eyes widened slightly as he was tackled from behind by at least three people. Being pushed into the ground with all the weight of Naruto's Kage Bunshin, Sasuke swore to himself; _why_ had he not sensed them coming?

His subconscious mentally supplied him with some explanations.

Because it was Naruto? You don't take him seriously while you're sparring because you know he won't kill you? You don't _really_ mind losing if it's like this? You don't expect anything less than him treating you like a normal person?

Sasuke promptly told his subconscious to shove off and mind it's own business, not even minding the fact that their business was one and the same.

Concentration breaking at the sudden sneak attack, the glittering wall blinked out into nothingness, the water that still clung to it raining down over the four Naruto and the single fuming-- and now soaking Uchiha.

Sasuke decided that he hated being small.

Naruto decided that this was a very good day indeed. "Well, now, Sasuke… I was only setting out to make you eat dirt, but mud does just as well, hey?" The blonde beamed down at his teammate, the permanent scowl deepening a little on the other's pale face.

"Don't make me get up, Naruto."

Scoffing good naturedly, Naruto grinned, reveling in his accomplishment. "What? You think you can?"

"…" Sasuke quirked a brow.

Naruto remembered that this was Sasuke. "Right. I think they… um… got a good grasp of what we can do?"

Not bothering to grace that with a response, Sasuke exaggerated his feelings of indignation as Naruto's clones disappeared in a cloud of smoke, and he declined the helpful hand up. He hated it when the blonde got a one up on him. No matter how he lost, Sasuke always took it hard, even if it didn't show. How was he supposed to defeat his brother if he was being so lenient as to let himself slack off in a fight like this? Even if it was just a spar, maybe if he tried harder, he would have been able to make some progress, or perfect a certain move. Maybe his Sharingan would become more attuned to battle. There was just so much that he hadn't _done_ yet, and the feelings of self doubt and inferiority always set in; they were wired into his mind now. Losing was not an option.

That infernal grin still wrinkling his bright blue eyes into cheerful crescents, Naruto dusted off the front of Sasuke's dirt stained white vest. Almost automatically, the Uchiha heir slapped the hand away, finishing the job himself.

Somehow… Sasuke just couldn't bring himself to seriously fight Naruto. Not after that clash at the Valley of the End. He was… _afraid, _as much as he hated to admit to that emotion. Afraid of his own power, but also the lack of control he had over it. Controlling chakra and building walls was different from leashing your emotions and actions. He still didn't know how to manipulate a situation -- a _life, _even -- so that every possible factor was in his control, at his fingertips. Itachi had cast Sasuke's life to fit to his fancy, as easily as the younger could slap together a protective chakra barrier, and Sasuke _had_ to be able to do everything his brother could. Then more.

Almost wasn't good enough.

Success was not fulfilling enough.

He didn't know what he wanted, but he wanted _more._ Some intangible force that may or may not have actually existed.

Disturbed from that dark train of thought by a muffled clapping, Sasuke looked up to see Dumbledore smiling jovially from the edge of the lake, not a far ways away.

"That certainly was quite the spectacular, my two young friends! But, if you wouldn't so terribly mind, is there a way you could perhaps return that water to the lake?" The elderly Headmaster called in a tone, as though he were asking them to pass the salt across the dining table. To move the water effectively, they would have to infuse every drop of water with their chakra, which was a little more difficult than drawing water from an open source like the lake. Especially considering the water had soaked into the rich soil already. "The squid does get cranky if there isn't enough insulation in the wintertime, and the merpeople population aren't very keen on reliving the decades old running of the squid, I do gather."

The boys blinked at each other.

Neither of them even thought to ask if there was a more magical way of finishing their cleanup before they set to work.

Still smiling in that old man fashion, Dumbledore collected his fellow staff members and meandered back up to the castle, unsticking two delightfully dry citrus flavored Muggle candies, and popping one in his mouth.

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TBC

_Sorry again for taking so long… -weeps forgiveness- _D:

**Edit (March 25, 2005): **Fixed the spell that Dumbledore used; I can't believe that I put down the Fidelius charm! I took so long to get around to it, sorry! Chapter five is UNDERWAY!


	5. Don’t Slip! Blend in Carefully!

**Neon: **Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last few chapters! It means a lot to me, and it does play a huge hand in when I start a new chapter. XD

Now, as one reviewer kindly pointed out, I have gone from saying Sasuke went to Orochimaru and came back after a short while, to saying that he stayed for the full three years. I must admit that I did not know about the full arc when I started this story, but once I found out about it, I realized how important it was in developing Sasuke and Naruto's characters. It is a big, gaping hole, yes, but it won't do much to the story. It is surely not going to affect the plot.

I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

Warning: Don't wake up the Uchiha if you want to live long enough to use the senior's discount.

Everyone send LOVE to my wonderful beta, Fantastical Queen Ebony Black!

**EDIT: **Sorry for the third repost (man, I suck), but this is the version that has been revised by my beta. No need to reread, but she did a really wonderful job. She, at least, obviously pays attention in English class. XD I am a retard and sleep.

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Dai 5 Wa - Don't Slip! Blend in Carefully!

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_The electric snap of a bolt of lightning startled him, illuminating the large, barren room for a moment before giving way to darkness and the low roll of thunder. His eyes were fixated on a long, black-red streak of sticky blood; still warm, he imagined, even though it was bitterly wet and cold. The smell permeated his senses, and he shifted his small body carefully along the shallow river of --if he didn't think about it too much-- ink. _

_It was as though something had been dragging itself along the sheets of alabaster tatami, wallowing pitifully in its own vital fluids. The boy's throat tightened as he thought determinedly of ink, spilling over pale rice paper as he once again tipped it onto his homework, hands fumbling with the paintbrush as though he were a blind man._

_Those same tiny, clumsy hands found the floor, and his mind dimly registered the fine, grainy texture of the woven mats. His throat was becoming constricted, as though there was something clamped around it, squeezing all of the air out of him. Skin suddenly searing, he tried to scream, scrabbling and writhing as he clawed at his throat. He was sure his skin was bubbling; boiling and rolling like heated water, but only this was a hundred times more agonizing._

_Shuddering and flipping onto his back, entire body rigid, he noticed, out of the corner of his mind, something solid rise beside him. Still, he tore at his throat, frantically attempting to stop the inferno that seemed to fester there. A slow hiss made himself instinctively force his head backwards, belly up and throat exposed --how ashamed his brother would be-- looking up into shimmering golden eyes, each one slit through with black by the pupil. _

_The monster snake gave a morbid chuckle that was somehow heard over the boy's gasping chokes of pain and the storm outside. It slithered forward, wicked tongue flicking out to taste the air, to taste him. His pain, his fear, his--_

"_Sasuke…"_

"Sasuke, are you awaaaake?"

Dark eyes flew open, not taking time to focus in on the blonde invading his personal bubble, nor to peel his cheek away from the page of a musty book he had adopted as a temporary pillow. Faster than he could become aware of much of anything, Naruto was reeling backwards, yelping in pain, and his knuckles began to sting something awful.

Sitting up quickly, not a trace of evidence to show that he had been fast asleep half a second ago, Sasuke shook out his hand and glowered through the fire-lit dark at Naruto to cover up his embarrassment at hitting his own partner. Not that he didn't already do that often enough, but there was usually a reason. He had struck Naruto --or more walloped him in the face-- out of blind fear and years of automatic attacks from the dead of unconsciousness.

"I've told you not to do that when I'm sleeping. You're lucky I was out like that, otherwise I'd probably have amputated you before I woke up enough to open my eyes." Sasuke kept his voice carefully flat, throat tight from keeping his syllables even and devoid of shaking from the remnants of his dream, yet mercifully relaxed enough to allow him to breathe. He knew he was allowing Naruto some dignity with that comment; there had been occurrences when he'd accidentally killed off Orochimaru's servants as they tried to rouse him at the Sannin's request.

Faceless, nameless people that he knew had neither family nor friend to bind to their life. Since they had no bonds, Sasuke felt no shame in killing them. He hadn't done it purposefully, he told himself, and since no one knew them, no one would mourn for them.

Orochimaru certainly hadn't.

Stuffing his anxiousness somewhere were it wouldn't be able to effect his facial expressions, he watched Naruto curse under his breath and straighten up, chancing a small grin at the Uchiha survivor. Touching the bridge of his nose gingerly, the blonde pulled his hand away from his face and flapped it in the air, waving away Sasuke's terse words. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It just grazed me."

Sasuke turned back to the small table he had dozed off at, fitting a bookmark between the pages of '_Legendary Magical Feats of the Seventeenth Century'_ and slamming it shut a little harder than he had intended. He left the book where it sat; he doubted he would be able to find another place for it on the table if he tried, it was piled so high with books that he had not yet been able to get to reading.

Taking the dark haired teenager's silence as permission to continue, Naruto eased his expression to a more casually serious look. "Well, you're probably wondering why I woke you up, even at extreme risk to my own dashing good looks." His mouth pulled into a tight smile that didn't quite reach his ears as he made an effort to not notice how Sasuke's thin arms shook ever so slightly. Coughing to fill up the silence, as though making up for his partner's lack of an answer, he continued, "I was thinking, you know, about--"

"Don't tilt things out of their natural order, now." The furious crest of dark hair dipped up as Sasuke bowed his head, back facing Naruto as he stood and crossed the room, apparently tidying up, or trying to find one of his many resource books.

Ignoring the insult, not for Sasuke's rudeness --he was more than used to it-- but because it lacked the usual confidence that he was used to hearing in that haughty voice, Naruto plowed on, "about that problem we had. About deciding what roles we should take in this mission." Here, he paused, just as Sasuke turned around to face him. It was such an offhand movement, a silly thing to note, but Naruto was so used to interpreting Sasuke's 'hn's' and subtle body language, that he could tell that the shorter boy was recomposed and his mind clear enough to reason with Naruto's idea. That cold, near instantaneous logic was what Sasuke relied on to function.

"What about it?" Sasuke leaned against the back of his chair, arms folded loosely at his chest.

"Well, I've been reading Harry's personal record-- you know, along with that stuff that Dumbledore wrote for us about his personality, things we won't find in a student record-- and he seems the sort of person to… trust his teachers, doesn't he?" Naruto said this thoughtfully, and Sasuke regarded this with careful precision. The blonde was vastly more mature than he let on sometimes, and it was obvious he had thought this through before waking his partner.

"Yes, he does. But he hasn't had a solid, anywhere near ideal parental figure in his life, has he? Parents murdered when he was one, shoved into the care of a family of, from what we've heard, didn't provide very much care at all," Sasuke unfolded his arms to tick the points off on his fingers, "Known by every magical person that has lived in the last almost fifteen years, lost and unfamiliar with the wizarding world. Not that he is now, I imagine, but it wasn't a great introduction, by any means."

Torn between rolling his eyes, and wincing at those bluntly displayed facts, Naruto moved on to point two of his debate. "And that Draco Malfoy, from Slithery--"

"--Slytherin." Quite apart from wanting to keep information tidbits correct, Sasuke had taken an eerie fascination in the serpent house. Not surprising, considering whom he had been training under for three years. Naruto didn't understand exactly why the other held such an avid interest in snakes, because when anyone mentioned Orochimaru's existence in front of him, Sasuke immediately either glared or beat the offender into submission.

"Slytherin, right. But he is more of the type to want attention from his peers. Sounds like a spoiled little brat, from looking over his history. Apparently been into the hospital wing for totally trivial wounds. And he's also one of Harry's more aggressive colleagues." Naruto paused, and Sasuke nodded, egging him on to elaborate. "So… I _am _more of a people person than you, you have to admit. And you're way better at tricky things like undercover work."

Closing his eyes lightly and once more crossing his arms, chin resting on his chest, Sasuke appeared to be mulling this over. After a few moments, Sasuke parted his lips and murmured, "That… just… Are you sure you're up to it?" He had cut off his words, but Naruto was pretty sure that he had been about to say 'just might work'. It was close to coming together, now. Since Sasuke had pretty much agreed _logically, _all that was left for Naruto to do was convince him emotionally.

"Hell yes, I'm up to it! Since when am I not up to anything?" Quirking a cheeky grin, and utterly ruining the serious, businesslike aura he had going for him, he waited for Sasuke to come to his final conclusion.

"You just want to see me running around dodging all the girls, don't you?" When he lifted his head, dark bangs somehow still straight even from having just woken up, Naruto couldn't help but smile more widely at that exasperated, almost pained look on Sasuke's face. He was half hidden in shadow, because Naruto had had his brilliant stroke of genius at god-knew-what hour, but the crackling fire illuminated his pale face with a dull orange light.

"Well… Yeah, okay, you've got me there. You have to admit, it's damn hilarious." Folding his arms behind his head, Naruto marched past Sasuke and over to his bed in the small room they were sharing. The Uchiha's bed, he was amused to note, was also encased in mountains of books, tottering faintly on the cushion of the mattress.

"Is your nose alright?" The sudden question caught Naruto off guard as he passed, but he beamed smugly over his shoulder at Sasuke anyway. It occurred to him that this was as close to an apology that Sasuke ever got.

"Like I said, just grazed me." Jumping under the covers, Naruto rolled over with his back facing Sasuke, allowing the dark haired boy some privacy. He heard Sasuke move over to the fire and sit on the worn rug on the hearth, and eventually fell into an untroubled sleep, triumphant that he had thought up such an exceptional plan.

Sasuke stared into the flames for a long time, distracted from thinking too deeply about Naruto's idea. His mind usually jumped into overdrive, delving into every detail to try and find a flaw, just in case.

But he couldn't do that at the moment. The dream still hung around him like some black rain cloud, yet he couldn't stop thinking about what Naruto had said about that punch just _grazing_ his face.

When the barest traces of daybreak turned the sky outside a dull gray, he found a roll of bandages and wrapped them around his gently bleeding knuckles, silently curled up on one of the soft, threadbare chairs, and decided to get a few more hours sleep before they proposed the plan to the professors.

--..--..--..--..--..--

Morning brought on a cold draft that wafted through the entire room, and served adequate in waking Sasuke from his light slumber. Having been awake for quite some time, his toes and fingers and nose freezing, the Uchiha had not opened his eyes yet, rather preferring to listen to the happenings going on around him. He curled his toes over the edge of the armchair, cold enough to not want to move quite yet. At least the spot on the chair where he was curled was warmer than the stone floor.

After a while, Naruto had been grudgingly roused from his bed to close the thin panes of the window. Neither of them were used to such cold, as Konoha was the capital of Fire Country for a reason. Sasuke listened, eyes closed, as Naruto padded cautiously around his chair to the fireplace. There was a clink of metal against metal, a slight displacement of the air, and Sasuke sensed something being raised in his general direction…

"Naruto, put the fire stoker back; I'm awake." Cracking one dark eye open, Sasuke quirked an eyebrow at the blonde, who was apparently trying to prod his partner awake without danger to his immediate person.

The blonde had the mind to look mildly apologetic as he replaced the stoker in its case in front of the dying embers. "Sorry."

Stretching his arms and legs, and slowly rising from his nest, Sasuke scavenged under his bed for a change of clothes, dropping a handful of senbon carelessly on the bedside table. The needles tinkled in a deceiving sort of merriment.

Naruto decided, at that moment, that he'd let Sasuke wake up on his own from now on, no matter the situation. If there happened to be an enemy attack, Naruto pitied anyone who tried to pry his partner from sleep.

--..--..--..--..--..--

After Sasuke had changed into a more casual uniform of a black turtleneck and matching pants; Naruto with his usual black tee and orange jacket, and once they had scoured the castle and found a bathroom, the pair of Konoha shinobi set off to do the next vital step of their mission: Find Breakfast.

Sasuke never really ate that much, nor did he have much of a schedule when it came to meals, but he agreed to finding some form of food if it would shut Naruto up for a while. He always got very whiny when he was hungry, perhaps not for lack of maturity, but because it worked. Sasuke had very little patience for the blonde's childish pleas to first and foremost find food, but didn't like expending the energy it took to argue.

Eventually coming across a gigantic room with four long, empty tables inside, and a fifth table spanning the width of the room at the end, Naruto and Sasuke looked around. No one seemed to be there, but there was a small platter of different breakfast dishes in plain sight.

"The mess hall?" Sasuke wondered aloud, gazing at the food with a suspicious flick of his eyes. It was probably just left out by one of the servants on Dumbledore's request, but he couldn't help but think how easy it would be to poison a person in this manner…

"Looks like it." Naruto grinned over at him, an onigiri cake already stuffed halfway into his mouth. Rolling his eyes and mentally reprimanding himself, Sasuke remembered that no one here knew them. And even if the Potions Master was a little antisocial, he was still one of their employers. Quite stupid to off a pair of shinobi that you didn't know, and were working for you anyway.

Plucking up a piece of toast and pouring himself a glass of milk, Sasuke ignored Naruto, who was rolling his eyes at the Uchiha's lame idea of a meal. Sasuke shrugged lightly and bit into his toast, just as the towering entrance doors creaked open, and Dumbledore swept into the room, smiling vaguely at them. Naruto gulped down his mouthful of sticky rice, so he wouldn't accidentally start gabbing with his mouth full, and succeeded in almost choking himself.

Not even looking up from his toast, Sasuke calmly handed Naruto his untouched glass of milk and poured himself another from the pitcher.

"Enjoying breakfast, I do hope?" Dumbledore asked innocently, upon coming closer to the pair, and he deftly ignored the wide array of colors that the blonde ninja was turning in the face.

Sasuke, who had long ago categorized these colors and was subconsciously guessing on the order they were coming in, nodded silently to the wizened wizard. Traditionally, Sasuke was supposed to bow, considering that Dumbledore was his superior, by all technicalities. But if Dumbledore didn't make him bow, he wasn't going to.

The last person who had tried to force some manners into the young Sharingan wielder ended up with a phobia of snakes and an acute tendency to jump at shadows and small sounds. Tsunade had yelled at and threatened Naruto just as much as she had Sasuke, since the blonde was more or less the Uchiha's 'babysitter', having vouched for him on his return to the village. Naruto had merely scowled and told her that the man was pigheaded and very rude, and that he had been asking for it. Furthermore, he had stated that Sasuke hadn't killed him, and he thought higher of himself and his partner than to work for such a cretin.

Tsunade had reminded Naruto that he was supposed to do what was asked of him on a mission; since big missions were always checked by a branch of the representative board of Konoha, they were very unlikely to be harmful to the village. Naruto had gotten fierce then, coldly replying that he was human before he was a shinobi, and he had morals to stand by.

Sasuke had simply remained silent for the entire time, not saying a word to his own defense. He didn't believe there was anything to defend, since he had very rightly struck out against that man. The blame was his own to shoulder, and he did so without hesitation. He also held his tongue because of Naruto.

The young Uchiha believed that firstly, he was a shinobi. A tool of his country, but a tool that could think for itself, and was therefore dangerous to anyone and anything-- including himself. He would not have had a problem if their vulgar, drunk of an employer asked him to go assassinate a family of church going, law abiding citizens, as long as he had not criticized him in the process.

Sasuke didn't take criticisms well. Insults, on the other hand, were in their own separate category. Even Naruto knew where to draw the line; and that there was a big difference between friendly banter and offensive words.

"Ah! Dumbledore!" Naruto, recovering from his rebellious breakfast, downed the glass of milk Sasuke had handed him and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Er… you don't mind me calling you by that?" Remembering his manners, he smiled sheepishly at the headmaster.

"No, no, not at all…" Dumbledore answered loftily, peering over the tray of Asian style foods, hand hovering in circles as he attempted to make a selection. "Any plans on what you are doing today?" He picked up a large, breaded prawn and gave it a generous dollop of green paste that Sasuke knew as _wasabi._

Sasuke grimaced as he imagined the taste.

Dumbledore bit into this odd combination, chewed it thoughtfully, and swallowed, without so much as a trace of distaste. He patted at his mouth with a napkin, and turned once more to the two shinobi.

Busying himself with his toast, Sasuke left Naruto to explain, while he listened and wondered how one old man could possess so many eccentricities.

--..--..--..--..--..--

An hour later, Naruto and Sasuke found themselves in a cobblestone paved little street, aided only by several pieces of parchment with words scrawled in neat handwriting.

"Diagon Alley," Naruto read aloud from the map he was given. "And I need… a wand, robes, a cloak, and whatever else I find would help. What about you?"

Skimming over his own, and rather longer letter, Sasuke listed off his required items. "Three sets of plain, black work robes and a pointed hat to match, protective gloves…" Here, he puzzled over the mentioning of dragon hide. "Dress robes, and a winter cloak. Not to mention I'll be needing regular clothes; our… the clothes we came in are a little outlandish." He stopped himself from saying 'uniform', as a very tall wizard with an angular face had looked their way. The Uchiha was sure that he didn't hear them, though.

Naruto nodded vaguely and absentmindedly ducked out of the way as a man carrying several long packages turned, nearly lobbing the blonde's head off. "So, what, you don't need a wand?"

"That was just my uniform." Sasuke held up the list so Naruto could see exactly how much it contained. "I've got textbooks and miscellaneous equipment to go, after that."

Naruto sighed, and Sasuke understood why. It was Sakura who could somehow flaunt around stores all day and never get bored.

"This is going to take all day, you do realize?" Naruto squinted at his map.

"It'll take longer if we don't do it now. And don't think of it as shopping. Think of it as resource gathering." Sasuke tucked his sheets of parchment into his envelope, and looked resolutely at Naruto. "Now, you take the map; it's okay if you look like you're a little lost. I'll just have to look at the shop signs and improvise."

"So, we're splitting up from here?"

Nodding, Sasuke scowled and moved to the side to avoid a rather large woman elbowing him in the side as she passed. "Yes, it'll be more inconspicuous that way. We don't know each other. And right now, I was merely asking directions."

"Got it. I'll go and…" Blue eyes roving his supply list, Naruto seemed to be trying to find the least boring of the items. "…Get my wand. Ollivander's."

"I'll do that last, then. We won't meet up that way. And keep an eye out for Potter; Dumbledore said he had been at the Weasley's -- friend's place-- for the last bit of holiday, and they apparently came to stay around here for the last fortnight before term-- more security, what with all these wizards on the lookout. And I need to book a room in the place that Potter's staying, the 'Leaky Caldron', I think it was."

Sasuke, already feeling as though the conversation had gone on far too long for the excuse of 'asking directions' to be feasible, turned and dodged through the oddly thin and quiet crowd, just catching Naruto's retort of 'Oh, _you're _polite!' before he left. He made a point of staring at the shop signs and moving his lips, as though muttering directions to himself under his breath. After a while, he slowed down and looked around, spotted a bookstore by the name of Flourish and Blotts, and decided that it was a good a start as any.

The little bell tingled merrily as he entered, the door clicking shut behind him and closing out the noise of the street outside. Lit by a warm glow emitting from many lamps and the sun, which was streaming in the large bay window, he saw that the bookstore was full of shelves. Which, of course, were full of even more books. There was a distinct smell of dust that belied the clean surfaces. Sasuke stepped in, and slowly walked up and down the many aisles, and pulled out his booklist to refer to. He noted that there were very few customers about, and the few that peppered the area kept throwing glances over their shoulders.

Starting at the top of the list, he skimmed one pale finger along the rows of leather bound volumes, trying to find '_The Standard Book of Spells: Grade 6'_ By _Miranda…_

"… Goshawk." Pleased that he had found the name without much difficulty, Sasuke began searching for the specific title. It was then that he realized that dear Miranda had seemingly written the entire, towering bookcase full.

A muscle twitched below his right eye. He could, of course, try to find all the books by himself, and save his pride…

"Hello there? Can I help you?" An elderly, morose looking wizard poked his head into the aisle.

… But then again, shinobi had to be able to manipulate people into doing their dirty work.

Wiping the slight smirk off his face before he turned, Sasuke murmured confusedly in what he hoped sounded like a real language, gesturing at the parchment in his hand. The man wearily offered to help, but, pretending to not understand, Sasuke nodded appreciatively, left the wizard with his list, and slipped away to see if he could find something more interesting than '_Advanced Herbology: A Guide to Uncommon and Dangerous Plants'. _

Passing the large window up front, Sasuke easily noticed a bright white-blonde shock of hair, sitting atop the head of a tall, slim boy with a thin, pale face. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed, and he recognized the boy from one of the information files from Dumbledore.

Sasuke watched Draco Malfoy enter the bookshop, and he would have dubbed the boy alone, if it was not for a woman bearing an uncanny resemblance to him lingering just outside, speaking calmly down her nose to a small group of smartly dressed wizards and witches, though her gaze darted somewhat nervously to Draco now and again. Supply shopping with his mother, he didn't doubt. This certainly was not a crime, of course, but Sasuke wanted to observe his objective in action. There was only so much one could pick up from a few footnotes on mannerisms.

Ducking behind the end of a bookshelf and pretending to be looking for a certain book, Sasuke watched Draco out of the corner of his eye. The teenaged wizard looked around haughtily. Noticing that Malfoy's gaze was coming close to falling over his own form, Sasuke coolly selected a book, tipped it off its shelf, and cracked it open in his palm to feign interest in the text. He could feel eyes on the back of his head, but he wasn't worried in the least.

Footsteps, the whisper of robes, and…

"Who are you?" There was a drawl in his voice that Sasuke had not yet met in this foreign place, but he connected the meaning all the same.

Looking over his shoulder, his eyebrows raised fractionally as though he had only just noticed the blonde, Sasuke held the gaze of a pair of icy grey eyes. "Excuse me," he kept his words clean-cut and clear. Words, Sasuke knew, were useless without tone. "But it is considered proper to tell me your name, if you want mine."

A frown spread over the other's face, taken aback by the simple defiance, but smoothed out into a smirk. Draco held out his right arm, waiting for Sasuke to accept a handshake. It seemed as though he were giving the Uchiha heir a chance to redeem himself; the dark-haired boy suppressed a snort.

"Fine then. I'm Draco Malfoy. You are?"

Normally, Sasuke would have walked away, leaving him standing there like an idiot. But Sasuke had a role to play, and he was going to play it. Grasping the other's hand in a firm shake, he replied lowly, "Sasuke Uchiha. Pleasure." The syllables rolled awkwardly on his tongue, but sounded as regular as any other words. He was used to presenting his esteemed surname first, but he had to bend to these new customs. "You go to Hogwarts, correct?"

"So, you've heard of my family, then?" Looking arrogant again, Malfoy casually stuffed his hands into the pockets of his robes. "Yes, I do. But you look about my age, and I haven't seen you around Hogwarts." He eyed Sasuke with a mix of curiosity and unconcern.

"You wouldn't have seen me." Sasuke kept his voice minimal out of sheer habit. "I've just started."

Looking slightly taken aback and disgusted, Sasuke saw Malfoy's hands clench in his pockets, as though he wished to wipe some vile substance off them. "Are you an out-of-the-shell Squib, then? Or worse, a Mudblood…"

"No," he clicked his tongue angrily, pulling an insulted expression. "Pure-blood. I was expelled."

"And you still managed to get into another school?" Draco sneered, as though awed against his will. "I didn't think it was possible, even with the saint of second chances running Hogwarts. Which school gave you the boot?" His eyes flicked over Sasuke's shorter form. "Durmstrang?"

Busying himself with putting away his utterly uninteresting book, Sasuke shrugged lightly, smirked, and supplied airily, "I'd be quite out of place to say, Malfoy. Little secrets, after all." With that, he swept extravagantly past the now glowering boy, which was quite a feat due to his lack of flowing clothing.

Uchiha Sasuke had a role to play. He didn't need to be polite.

He waited silently at the front desk, arms crossed, until the wizard who had unsuspectingly volunteered to do Sasuke's book shopping returned. Paying with a handful of gold and silver coins Dumbledore had given him, the Uchiha inclined his head in careless thanks when he received his change. Relieving the panting wizard of his considerable load, Sasuke unblinkingly hefted the weight into his arms and left Flourish and Blotts, not bothering to look up as he swerved to avoid one glaring Draco Malfoy.

--..--..--..--..--..--

After dodging his way through the timidly bustling crowds of Diagon Alley (and very narrowly stopping himself from giving into the urge to just jump to the rooftops to steer clear of the hordes. It wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't keep darting in random directions, as though hoping to throw off an invisible attacker), Sasuke managed to find an outdoor seat at an ice cream parlor to cross his attained items off the list. He had had quite a time escaping from Madam Malkin's robe shop, having unluckily caught the eye of a group of young girls, all of whom had stared at him through his robe fitting. All too used to this to care very much anymore, Sasuke had simply ignored their stares and giggles, leaving the majority of them quite put out. Girls in Konoha more or less left him alone; they were much too scared of him to even think about getting into his personal space.

Sakura, on the other hand, had started caring so much that it hurt. Quite literally. Sasuke was surprised that his jaw wasn't permanently bruised from her reception welcoming. She wasn't scared of him, but never got in his way when he was in a mood; which, however often he _was, _she would always come and talk to him when the time was right. He never answered back, but Sasuke had learned that women got a lot more out of a conversation than most interrogators usually did. Sometimes she tried to bait him, but he remained silent. No use in giving her more on his thoughts than he had to.

Shaking his head and crossing off the school uniform from his list, Sasuke looked to his bundle of casual clothing. It had taken the better part of half an hour to track down a store that was not exclusively in the business of wizarding fashion, but Sasuke had managed to find some Muggleish clothing for weekends. Also scratching off all of the textbooks from the list with one of the raven feather quills he had purchased, he visually picked out other objects from the heap. Cauldron, potions materials, dragon hide gloves, brass scales, a telescope (what did they need _telescopes _for, anyway? He knew perfectly well how to navigate by the stars already), and he had no desire to bring a toad --Naruto had confirmed his dislike for the creatures when the blonde had thought it would be funny for him to find one in his bento box-- he hated how snooty cats were, and, though owls were probably useful for delivering mail, as he had seen a post office full of them, Sasuke had better things to do with his time than pick up droppings and pellets. Who would he send mail to, anyway?

So, all he needed now was a wand. Naruto had mentioned something about an Ollivander's…

Sasuke's curse seal twinged slightly, and he could feel it branch out and flutter over his collarbone like some ink trail of ivy…

_--Or blood, seeping slowly; staining the white tatami with blood that was his but not his own--_

… and down his shoulder… Gritting his teeth, Sasuke's grip tightened on the black feathered quill. '_Don't think about-- Stop it.'_

_--The gleaming edge of a long, slender blade caught the moonlight, reflecting a strip of light over the floor, over the blood; oh god, there were pieces of bone and who knew what organs; and over the pale, round face of a timid child, features rapt and twisted in an expression of horrified shock--_

… splayed over his chest, clawing down his ribcage, burning…

_--He had trusted in that face, in those hands, but those deep-set red ruby eyes were something he had come to fear. They were _his _eyes. His brother's--_

Sasuke bit down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood. His fingers tingled numbly, and he forced his seal back to the original mark on the crook of his throat and left shoulder. He was still for a long time, and his world was silent. Slowly, the muffled sounds of shoppers and summertime came back into tune, at first muffled, then back into its full roar, and only then did he open his eyes. Thankfully, people were sticking to groups, and did not seem to want to linger longer than they needed to, so no one had witnessed his momentary lapse of control.

Reliving the past like he so often did still didn't make seeing his brother's face, garbed in shadow and hovering over their slain parents, any easier. Had Sasuke merely slipped off into his own world when that part of his life replayed in his mind, it would have been uncomplicated. But he knew that he only saw when his guard was down and his heart _willing. _He never wanted to see, no, but it was with a guilty conscience that he watched it progress, hoping that maybe this time, it wouldn't be his brother standing over the bodies and telling him how to hate. If had it been anyone else…

Sasuke circled the word 'wand' on his list, gathered his things, and left the parlor without ordering. He stuck to the shadows this time; he had no desire to put up with any more giggling girls who had no more to think about than what colour of nail paint they would use next.

--..--..--..--..--..--

Something was bothering Sasuke. It wasn't his seal, nor the night and day mares he'd been having; those were commonplace to him now. The thing that was bothering him, he realized as he slowly stepped into Ollivander's, was that the crowds were so scarce here. Diagon Alley looked the type of place that would draw a lot of people. There were a million and one different kinds of products for sale, and with a new school year starting, wouldn't people be flocking here to purchase things?

Shaking the feeling away, but storing it away for later analysis, Sasuke reminded himself that he had to pay attention to the matter at hand. A man with crisp blue eyes and wispy, snow-white hair appeared from the back of the shop. It was very dark, and very cramped here. Sasuke guessed that this man was of the sort to not care what his store looked like, but rather preferred to take pride in his work. Aesthetics could only take a business so far in life.

"Hello, young man…" Mr. Ollivander looked suspiciously, not rudely, down his nose at Sasuke. "What may I be able to do for you, today?"

"I need a new wand," Sasuke stated briskly, voice quiet, "I lost my own when I moved here." The lie was uncommon, yet believable; he was forced to think of an excuse that Naruto would not have used… Two replacement wands for two strangers in one day? It was best not to take people for fools. Besides, it tied in nicely with his distinctly Asian looks.

Mr. Ollivander looked slightly less apprehensive, and clucked his tongue disapprovingly. "Lost your wand, boy, honestly… A wizard's greatest tool, and…" He shook his head, as though personally affronted.

Having read something about a wizard or witch 'matching' to a certain wand, he added, more wanting to sound like he'd grown up around magic than to console the old wand-maker, "It was my father's, before it was mine."

"Hm… here with your mother, then?" He asked mistily as he shuffled through the stacks of long, narrow, very dusty boxes behind the desks.

"No." Sasuke returned tersely, now slightly regretting that he had brought up his family, no matter how vaguely he had mentioned them.

Mr. Ollivander sighed somewhat sadly, back still turned to the teenager. "So many orphans… people forget how simple ignorance can affect so many…"

The Uchiha was about to interject irritably; he hadn't mentioned anything about his mother being dead, even though the comment about having had his 'father's wand' was a giveaway. Sasuke had never thought of himself as an orphan, doubtlessly though he was. He was going to correct the man, but Mr. Ollivander interrupted before he could open his mouth.

"Ah… Eleven inches, cherry wood, Unicorn hair core… Quite feminine, but do give it a wave."

Sasuke glowered, not minding much when his seal wriggled angrily under his shirt. He accepted the wand-- and for all he cared for it, a fancily carved and polished _stick_-- and gave it a noncommittal wave. Dumbledore had wondered if Naruto and Sasuke would be able to use wands at all, and asked if there were people where they came from that could not use their chakra, or, as Dumbledore had said, 'brand of magic'. Sasuke had said that not every child had the talent to become a ninja. Taijutsu could be taught, yes, but real talent was kindled from hereditary genes. That was why Sasuke's family had been so strict about marriages; it has considered a disgrace for a weakling to be born into the blood.

On top of that, the _kekkai genkai _of the Sharingan was not promised to every Uchiha, as carefully as parents were chosen. To be an Uchiha was one thing, but to have the Sharingan was to be elite; a complete representation of the entire clan and its power. The best of the best of the best of the best. Nothing less was acceptable.

Well, it might have been, but Sasuke didn't know any more. If it was family standards that he was required to meet, then nothing short of flying to the moon and back unassisted would be acceptable. He doubted even _that_ would appease that man…

At any rate, Dumbledore had said that if he was able to 'breathe fire', then Sasuke could most likely manage to make a wand work.

Giving the 'feminine' wand another short flick, Sasuke willed it to burst into flame for trying to mock him. Better yet, he could probably just shove it into Mr. Ollivander's eye…

Sasuke caught himself aiming, but before he could do anything more, the wand was taken from his hand-- or rather, Ollivander _tried _to take it back, but Sasuke's reflexes were too keen, and he yanked his arm backwards in one fluid motion. Handing the wand back calmly, and pretending that nothing happened, Sasuke relinquished the wand to its maker.

The elderly man eyed Sasuke for a long moment, in which Sasuke held his gaze equally, before Ollivander seemed to ease back into movement, picking out another wand and asking conversationally, "Quidditch player?"

Wracking his mind as he coolly took the proffered wand, Sasuke found he had no inkling of what Quidditch was. He would have to look that up later. "A little."

Mr. Ollivander nodded slowly, still watching the Uchiha, and he muttered, "I see… Well, try this one… Ten and a quarter inches, Oak, phoenix feather."

The wand was thrust into Sasuke's hand, and the dark-haired teen gave it another vague, swooping wave. The hem of Mr. Ollivander's robes caught aflame, were extinguished by the man's own wand, and another wand was given in place of another reject.

Feeling this was all rather pointless, and wanting to get this over and done with as quickly as possible, Sasuke asked as he swished the wand through the air, "Your wands… Different cores, they react to a wizard's personality?" (A heavy marble figurine was blasted from a high shelf and was caught as though by an invisible net. Sasuke didn't bat an eye.)

Levitating the sculpture back to its place and floating another skinny box down in front of himself, Mr. Ollivander nodded slowly. "Yes, yes… Is there anything…" Here, he caught Sasuke's dark and significant gaze, pausing from handing Sasuke yet another new attempt. "That you are interested in trying?"

Pondering for a split second, Sasuke stood straight-backed and replied, in a much quieter tone than usual, "Do you have anything involving snakes?" People often shied away from this dangerous icon, but Sasuke could not think of anything more symbolic of himself. He had been Orochimaru's pupil, but even aside from that, he thought himself cunning (for he surely was not dim-witted), and sarcastic, and he was not known for being terribly generous and understanding. Certainly, the serpent was more befitting of his personality than a unicorn. (Sasuke didn't care to relate himself to the magical cousins of a _pony. _He had his pride.)

Mr. Ollivander closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as though suppressing a wince. "Highly unusual, I must admit…" There was a note of mysteriousness in his voice, "But yes… I rarely ever make them, as it is so uncommon that a wizard or witch will match them…I do think I have a few, though. Please, wait here." He motioned to a rickety looking chair in the corner as he shuffled into the very back of the dimly lit store.

Sasuke spared the chair a glance, even though he knew he would not sit. His eyes traveled up to look out of the window in the front, and he took a few moments to watch the tight-knit groups of shoppers. The sun dipped behind a cloud, bathing everything in a mute shade of grey, and Sasuke could tell it was going to rain, even though all he could smell was dusty cardboard, wood polish, and candle smoke.

Moments later, Mr. Ollivander returned with what seemed to be the oldest, most battered box out off the entire collection of wands. When the old man lifted it carefully out of the case and offered it to the Uchiha, Sasuke noted that it did not look amazing or exceptional in any way. It was a very deep, yet pale, wooden ash colour; that being the only difference from the brown or red-brown wands he had already tried.

Slightly curious, yet as blank faced as ever, Sasuke accepted the wand, gripping it loosely. A warm, almost undetectable rush wound up his arm and over his body, and the dingy shop seemed a shade lighter than before. Sasuke looked indifferently up to the elderly wand maker, who was nodding in a grim sort of way.

"Eleven and three quarter inches, Ivory Silk wood, and the fang of a Basilisk I was lucky enough to procure from an expedition in Southern Europe… But," He adopted a slightly more cheerful tone, that could hardly be called cheerful to begin with, "As I always say, it is what one does with their wand, rather than what it is made out of."

The tip of Sasuke's wand belched out a short stream of orange-red flames, and the teenager paid with several fat, gold coins (Galleons, if he remembered correctly), gathered his things, and hurried out of the door, more than eager to be out of such a personal predicament. It wasn't often that missions such as these turned around on him and forced the Uchiha to show his real self, but he had needed a wand that matched. Mr. Ollivander would not have let him go without a satisfactory wand, and the less people who knew his true purpose here, the better…

The fresh air outside was a relief after the stifling inside of Ollivander's, and Sasuke was pleased with the coolness of, as he had predicted, oncoming rain. Concealing his wand in the sleeve of his black turtleneck, Sasuke reasoned that, even though he didn't know how to use it, he could always jab the thing into someone's eye socket. Although just as easily hidden on one's person, a wand was probably more likely to show up on a student than rows of needle-like senbon.

Easily carrying the weight of his many packages that would crush any normal person, Sasuke made sure that the wand was not in a position to blast off his hand. Ambidextrous or not, Sasuke liked having both hands firmly attached at the wrists.

He made his way back up the lane to the Leaky Caldron. Naruto, with the position he had taken, had the option of staying up in the castle until term started, but Sasuke had to find quarters elsewhere, in case he was seen making his way to and fro from the castle and back. Even though Hogwarts was still very far away from Diagon Alley, Sasuke was required to keep a low profile. This didn't bother Sasuke very much at all; this gave him a better chance to observe the locale and get in tune with what his soon-to-be peers were knowledgeable about.

When he arrived, the innkeeper, Tom, helped Sasuke select a room, but gave him no key when he paid for two weeks board. Only a slip of paper with the words '_Bottled Bat's Breath' _scrawled upon it, which Tom promptly set fire to once the Uchiha had had enough time to read it. Sasuke found this odd, but figured that since Tom found it odd that a lonely sixteen year old boy was staying for so long with 'You Know Who and his Death Eaters running about', it could only be considered even. Still, he briefly questioned Tom about it when they came to his room, after declining aid to carry his possessions.

"Well, you see sir," The stooped man wheezed, "What with the new… er… precautions we need to take now, Ministry has helped fund for these new doors. Each has a password, see? Only I know the pass's, and I change'm after every guest has stayed. Here, see," Tom uttered the password, and the door unlocked with a soft clicking sound.

Now then, Sasuke thought, that explained the bizarre note. "What, pray tell," he intoned darkly, covering up his amusement well, "would occur if you were tortured into madness, and had no control over your loose lips?"

The colour escaped out of Tom's face as Sasuke tilted his head in a mute goodbye, and closed the door in his face. Really, Sasuke hoped very much that he would be able to meet this Voldemort person face to face. He seemed very interesting.

Immediately noticing that there were many immense towers of books covering the floor at the foot of his bed, Sasuke set his purchases down on the small table in front of the crackling fireplace and padded over to the voluminous volumes. Plucking a note off the top of one stack and twirling it around to read it, one of Sasuke's eyebrows threatened to lift in confusion, but he merely shook his head and set the slip of parchment back down again. His other clothes and pouches of weapons were in a paper bag, set on the bed. He changed into a loose shirt and pair of pants, and washed his face and brushed his teeth in the bathroom. Within ten minutes, he was sitting on the bed, toeing off his sandals. Sasuke paused and stared blankly at his feet.

"Dammit," he cursed under his breath, "I need shoes."

Irritated with himself for forgetting even a trivial item such as shoes, and not even taking into consideration that he had never even _owned _a pair in his life, Sasuke threw the covers over himself and blew out the bushel of candles on the bedside table.

"Don't worry, dear." A voice rasped from the corner of the room. Sasuke glanced over his shoulder and guessed that his mirror was trying to comfort him. Though he had been in this place for barely two days, Sasuke was hardly shocked to discover this. "I would have forgotten, too…"

Normally, Sasuke would have instinctively whipped a few shuriken at the intruder of his privacy, but he really didn't feel like resetting all of his 'security measures'.

Settling into his pillow and listening to the light rain, in preparation of ignoring the mirror if it spoke up again, Sasuke closed his eyes. It was rather distracting to try to sleep with the fire lit reflections from the lengths of wire and various hand-weapons strung about the room constantly burning into his retinas.

Hopefully, Tom didn't make 7am wake up calls.

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Incidentally, it turned out that the innkeeper _did _make wakeup calls, but since Sasuke had been up at dawn, there was no evidence of any sort to indicate that there had been several complex setups around the room to brutally kill any fool oblivious enough to walk through the door, open a window, or so much as breathe on one of the many metal wires. Sasuke found it was a necessary evil to put the contraptions up every night; it was tiring to sleep, metaphorically, with one eye open all of the time.

Not that he didn't sleep more lightly than a high-strung coffee addict _anyway, _but at least it kept his mind sharp. It was stupid to rely on the same setup every night, after all, so he always had to tweak the aspects of his portable security system.

Tom had poked his bald head into the room, just as Sasuke clasped his hands together behind his back to avoid pelting the man's skull (or the _door, _if he was lucky enough to force a miss) with kunai. Sasuke didn't quite know whether it was an asset or a liability to automatically skewer anything that came within a ten meter radius of himself, unless he consciously stopped himself from attacking.

"Anything ye'd like for breakfast, sir?" Tom asked, totally unaware to the fact that he had nearly been turned into a pincushion of sorts.

Instantly attentive of two things at the mentioning of food, Sasuke blinked. Firstly, he was suddenly very conscious of the reality that he had only had a piece of toast and a glass of milk yesterday, and that, for the next ten and a half months, he would not be able to prepare his own food without rousing suspicions.

_Why _the latter was even more worrisome to him than the aforementioned was anyone's guess.

"A bowl of rice and a glass of orange juice, if you have it." Sasuke frowned slightly, uncomfortable with not being able to do it himself.

If Tom found the request strange, he did not show it. "Soy sauce, sir?"

His frown, if anything, deepened. "No." Soy _anything_, in his opinion, was utterly repulsive.

Once Tom had left Sasuke to his own devices, the Uchiha mentally made a shopping list of the items he still needed, waiting for the innkeeper to disappear down the corner before he left the room as well. Shoes, robes that were worn outside of school, a few trinkets for personal effects… That would not take very long to get. Sasuke pulled on one of his plain school robes, that looked normal enough to pass as casual robes for the time being.

Stepping out of the room, and careful to close the door behind him, Sasuke soon found himself in the multipurpose lobby and dining area. Tom was behind the reception desk, or, as it was more commonly used as, the bar, with Sasuke's meal sitting on a tray beside him.

Nodding knowingly to the teen, the man muttered, "Best to keep an eye on idle dishes, sir. Didn't let it out of my sight, no sir." There was a very subtle tracing of fear on the innkeeper's face that Sasuke was sure the man was unaware of showing. Most people would have missed it anyway, but Sasuke immediately knew that Tom dared not to try to poison him. Perhaps his comment last night had shaken the stooped innkeeper.

Sasuke smirked, just to encourage the behavior, took his tray, and scanned the room quickly. Several men and women were sitting alone (which was very strange, considering the only person he had seen alone in Diagon Alley yet was himself), scattered amongst the many rectangular tables, and Sasuke saw that they were concealing their wands very secretively in the large sleeves of their robes. A few of them kept throwing periodic glances over to the far corner of the room…

Rolling his eyes, utterly exasperated with the Aurors' pathetic obviousness, the undercover shinobi carried his food over to the table where two red heads, a bushy haired brunette, a giant of a groundskeeper, and Harry Potter sat. All were speaking in hushed, yet apparently casual voices. It was a huge advantage that Hagrid was here, this way Sasuke had a reason to approach the group. Although it was his, Sasuke's, top priority to leech information out of Malfoy and the other Slytherins, he could also become friendly with Potter. It was a difficult task, yes, but Sasuke had never tried to take the easy way out of anything.

Hagrid hailed the dark-haired teenager, alerting the rest to his presence. "All righ' there, uh… I don't think I got yer name, last we met."

Well, for having not seen his face before, Sasuke thought this was a good start. He had definitely worked off less than that before.

"I forgot to give my name when you gave me a tour of the castle. I apologize." He kept to addressing Hagrid and pretended that he had no clue who the others were. In truth, he didn't. The only students he knew of were Draco Malfoy and the bespectacled boy to his left. "Sasuke Uchiha."

"Ah, well, Sasuke… I think it'd be fine if you sat with us!" The groundskeeper put a very loud emphasis on the last few words, as though speaking to a deaf person. It could not have been plainer that he was giving the stationed Aurors the okay for Sasuke to join the group.

This was saddening. The level of secrecy and professionalism thus far almost caused Sasuke, after all his dignified and extensive training, to cringe in pain, but he kept his features plain. "Aa… thank you." As Hagrid was sitting on one side of the table, and the others crowded the opposite bench, Sasuke slid gracefully onto the bench beside Hagrid and set his tray down. "Hello."

Introductions and greetings were exchanged, and Sasuke discovered himself in the company of Hermione Granger, and Fred and George Weasley. Harry seemed pleasantly surprised when Sasuke acted as if he had never heard his story before.

"Why were you being shown around the castle-- Sasuke?" Hermione queried politely, taking time to get his name correct.

Swallowing his small mouthful of rice, Sasuke replied, "I'll be attending Hogwarts this year. I don't plan to stay for seventh year, though."

"You're only staying for the sixth, then?" Harry, looking bewildered, turned to the Granger girl in question. "I've never heard of that before. I thought that you had to have been there since first year?"

"Well, usually you do. But there have been rare exceptions in the past." She turned to Sasuke, who had somehow managed to finish his entire bowl of rice while no one was looking. Hermione blinked once, then twice, as he dabbed his mouth on a napkin. "Er… If you don't mind my asking, why _are _you coming to Hogwarts?"

Running through various stories he could weave about his supposed background, Sasuke composedly set down his napkin and looked at her evenly when he answered, "I was expelled from my last school," he stalled, just repeating what he had told Malfoy the day before. "So I came to Britain to try my luck."

"Expelled?" Fred-- no, that one was George-- exclaimed with a laugh. "Or did you just fly the coop, like we did?"

"Yeah," added Fred, "How's Peeves been doing for us, anyway, Harry?"

Harry grinned at the twins. "He's been a right pain in the--"

"Hush for a moment, won't you!" Hermione made flapping gestures at the boys; the twins rolled their eyes, "Would it be pushing my luck to ask how you were expelled?"

Sasuke murmured, keeping a straight face, "The Headmaster saw it unfit for me to attend any more. Isn't that how expulsion works here?"

The group let out a general chuckle, unsure if the newcomer was trying to be funny or not. Sasuke stared over Harry's left shoulder at another redhead coming to join the table, who was obviously related to the twins. He was very tall, and walked awkwardly, as though he had grown too quickly to get used to his body. Sasuke had never seen anyone like this before; what with being brought up in a society where the majority of the population was able to perform complex Taijutsu by the time they could sit on a chair without aid of a booster seat and all.

"Did you know we need passwords to get into the ruddy _bathrooms? _Mental, if you ask me. I mean, it's not like we'll be attacked when we're-- Who's this?" The lanky redheaded boy sat at the end of the bench opposite, beside Harry, staring at the foreign, pale teen across the table.

Hermione stated quite matter-of-factly, "His name is Sasuke, Ron. He's a new student in our year because he's been expelled from his old school." She nodded approvingly to Sasuke here, and continued, "I think that it shows a great deal of ambition to continue your magical education, even though--"

"_Expelled? _Blimey, how'd you manage that?" The boy, Ron, goggled a little. "And Dumbledore's accepting you at Hogwarts?"

"Well, obviously he's been accepted by Dumbledore, you great prat--" George rolled his eyes.

"-- Or else he wouldn't be _going _to Hogwarts, would he?" Fred finished. Hagrid and Harry chortled lightly, but Harry was quick to bite back his laughter for Ron's sake. Obviously, they were good friends.

Sasuke only paid half an ear to the actual conversation, but rather focused on his 'character's' back story. There could be no hurt in colouring it in a little; it would be a benefit to have a solid story. Harry was an orphan, just like he, Sasuke, was, as much as he hated to admit it. It wasn't as though he would need to tell them anything at all about his real family. He could create totally different parents. It needn't be an epic tale of his life; just enough so that Harry could relate to him, and possibly find someone that was tolerable, or even a 'friend', if Sasuke got lucky. It was so much easier to manipulate people that trusted you.

Frowning lightly when he realized that he was trying to convince himself, Sasuke cut in before Ron could argue back to the twins, "I was expelled for leaving the grounds. I don't have time to sit idly and learn out of a generic curriculum, so I left to seek knowledge from another source. The Headmaster was unwilling to let me back when I returned, even though I was more learned than most of the staff by that time."

Hagrid busied himself by taking a deep draught from his bucket-sized drink. The others, except for Harry, looked momentarily stunned. Harry's green eyes simply narrowed as he frowned, as though he was calculating. Sasuke knew that the story was very similar to what had happened with Konoha and Orochimaru, but he had, from experience, figured out that it was best to simply manipulate the truth, instead of trying to stand on a whimsical lie.

"Why did you go back, if you'd already learned more than the staff, anyway?" Harry inquired, and Sasuke knew he was testing the anecdote.

"Where I come from, you need a piece of paper stating that you have completed your education. If you don't have it, you're as useful as a Squib, no matter of your abilities." Sasuke let the wizarding vocabulary slip into his speech.

"What-- What did you mean by saying, you 'didn't have time to learn from the curriculum'?" Hermione was a very smart girl, Sasuke could tell. She reminded him a little of the Sakura of three years ago. Intelligent, but very nosy. "Certainly, it couldn't have taken that long to finish school in…?" She trailed off, a touch of uncertainty coming over her face.

"Eastern Asia." The Uchiha paused and lowered his voice significantly. It was important that they were aware that he was alone; for Harry to be able to associate with him. He didn't need to mention _him-- _"I had to leave. There is a man I need to…extract revenge from." Somehow, saying that he would be a ready murderer seemed a sure way to scare these people away. Sasuke wanted to snort at their naivety. He wanted to know why they were not told the truth of the world, at the very least-- how cruel it was, how brutal --at least _told, _not like he himself had been forced to witness first hand. It was unfair.

Unfair to himself, or to these _children, _Sasuke didn't care to find out what he thought.

There was an uncomfortable silence. The friends that Sasuke had invaded on all exchanged looks that did not go unnoticed, even though the Uchiha's face was lowered. The rest of the group, who seemed to think it prying and unkind to question him any further, started up a conversation about school grades. It seemed that they were unsure if he was going to keep talking, because his expression was so difficultly indifferent, but since he had ceased speaking, Hermione's flustered rattling on about O.W.L.s covered up the awkwardness quite well.

Sasuke stood elegantly, smirked, and said amusedly, "Don't feel so badly of me. None of you have crossed me wrongly. Or do you think me dangerous to people I have scarcely met?"

There was a general shaking of heads and nervous grins, but the mood uplifted from that point. Sasuke felt that he had closed a very vital negotiation. This was all business to him, but since it would help if Harry Potter were on good terms with him, then all the better.

"If you'll excuse me, I have to finish my school shopping." Sasuke left his tray for the Leaky Caldron's staff to take care of, but before he could leave, was interrupted by Harry.

"We need to do our own supply shopping, anyway. We could join you. Besides, it's not safe to go wandering around alone these days." There was a curious glint in his green eyes, and Sasuke was glad to see it. Potter was interested. "Especially since you're… er… new around here."

Sasuke smirked more widely, bent over slightly and whispered so the Aurors could not hear, "Spells are only dangerous if they are fast enough to hit you. The same goes for the caster."

With that, the pale boy with blue-black hair and coal dark eyes turned and walked out into the light drizzle of rain, apparently ready to fight off any of the increasing Death Eater attacks single handedly.

Harry Potter didn't have a hard time imagining his new acquaintance mocking them while he was at it.

"… Bit of a dodgy bloke, isn't he?" Ron mumbled, tearing a piece of bread with his teeth and chewing heartily.

"Now, Dumbledore has had him checked, Ron." Hagrid stated gruffly. "He wouldn't be letting in jus' anyone, what with things being how they are." The half giant paused here, and stared off into space, lost in momentary thought. "I din' know he was so young, though."

"You didn't know he was a student when you gave him a tour?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Well, no. Thought he was here for a job, meself-- teachin' job, tha' is. Definitely a teachin' job." Hagrid made a great deal of fuss over his drink at this point. "But I guess looks're deceiving, that shows."

"You boys had better watch out, mates." George said gravely to Harry and Ron.

"Why's that?" Ron raised an eyebrow as he spoke, mouthful of food.

Fred dodged a piece of airborne bread and shot back, laughing, "All of the girls will be after that one, they will! And widdle Wonnie here isn't putting up much of a fight, is he?"

Harry grinned and shrugged his shoulders apologetically at Ron, whose face had flushed a magnificent shade of magenta. Glancing at Hermione, to see if she too was equally amused with the antics, he was surprised to see that her cheeks were burning scarlet as well.

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TBC

More than twice as long as usual! Snakes on a plane for the win! 8D

Random fact: 1.5 percent of readers review this story. XD

Questions:

--Who wants Itachi? (Sounds cliché, I know. But from what you guys know from my writing abilities, do you think I can pull it off well?)

--Can I get away with switching around my limited omniscient views from Sasuke to Harry every so often?

**EDIT: **--I am entirely aware that Sasuke must be totally kick ass due to his three years of hard training and hatred, but are you guys okay with his seal acting up, nightmares, etc? Last thing I want is for him to sound like a wimp. 8D (Because it would be my untimely demise if that happened.)

Next chapter: Hogwarts express, ignorance of school rules on Sasuke's part, and cursed socks. : D I have my heart set on the cursed socks.


	6. Dueling Snakes, Fangs Sink Deep!

**Neon: **HOLY. I got such a great response last chapter! I read those reviews over so often… XD When I said that only 1.5 percent of people reviewed, I wasn't trying to sound like I was griping. XD I thought it was interesting.

I do not own Harry Potter or Naruto.

There will be no romantic relationship between the shinobi, and no cross pairing. I hope no one quits reading because of it. : ( And some people are telling me off for making Naruto taller than Sasuke. I don't really care, guys. It's how I see them. So what if Naruto just eats ramen? Maybe Kyuubi is helping him grow; who knows. :D (Has always seen Naruto as a tall guy when he grew up.)

After much thought, I've decided Itachi is a no-no. We don't need him. But people want Naruto! _That_ I can do. ;D Just put up with a little bit more of Sasuke so I can tie up some loose ends. Also, Sasuke is the student, so he sort of _need _to see what's happening with him right now. More Naruto later, though, I promise!

**Warnings: **Sasuke taking Baz Luhrman to heart. "Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.", _Baz Luhrman, the Sunscreen Song. _And I probably messed up the large snake summon name. People call him 'Manda', but I think 'Mando' sounds better, and it was the first name I knew for him. XD

Note: Stupidity Unleashed kills trees. A brave soul to print out the last chapter. ALSO, another big round of applause to Fantastical Queen Ebony Black! Another brave soul to willingly beta this story for me. ;D She amazes me.

I wonder if I can top the length of chapter five? It's a fun challenge I have for myself to keep the total words of this story higher than the hit counter. We've breached 25 000 hits! Thanks, guys! (Jun 21, 2006)

**EDIT: **I do not know WHY the chapter cut itself into two pieces, but now it's fixed! D: WEIRD.

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Dai 6 Wa - Dueling Snakes, Fangs Sink Deep!

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For the last twenty-or-so odd minutes, Sasuke had been pacing back and forth in front of one particular shop in Diagon Alley. It wasn't terribly obvious that he was keeping the relevance of stepping through the shop's threshold foremost in his mind, because he had also been picking up the last few objects on his list. The last 'item', that the store in question sold- one that Sasuke considered somewhat, but maybe not so much _optional_- was more a matter of his own ability.

Ability to get away with things, that is.

A cat, a toad, or an owl.

In Sasuke's very opinionated mind, a snake could certainly devour all of the above. Really, that was what it came down to, wasn't it?

He could communicate with snakes, they being his preferred summoning, yet keeping a summon around for ten consecutive months would only be a shade less than catastrophic. The smaller, less conspicuous snakes that Sasuke could have used would get impatient- their tempers were about as short lived as their Master's. The alternative, of course, could always be Mando. Sasuke was sure that everyone would be simply _overjoyed_ if he brought a six hundred foot representation of the darkest wizard to ever live to sleep in the dorm rooms.

Which circled back to the problem at hand.

A snake was in no way, shape, or form, a cat, toad, or an owl.

Frowning slightly, Sasuke pulled a dark sheet of sopping hair off of his face so he could properly scrutinize the sign that read, 'The Magical Menagerie', almost as if he kept it up long enough, the creaking hinges and faded wood could make a decision for him. The benefits of having his semi-kin around would be enormously helpful, because he couldn't be in two places at once. An extra pair of eyes never hurt. But school rules specifically said that snakes were not on the pet list. He had to abide by the school rules; he was not an exception, or at least he had to _appear_ to not be an exception.

After another moment of deep contemplation, Sasuke remembered that he simply didn't give a damn about rules in the first place, even if they _did _happen to apply to him. He left his muddy patch of ground to go see if the place sold any decently intelligent fork-tongued fiends.

Ten minutes later, the Uchiha left the shop with a beautiful two-foot, black-indigo snake wrapped about his neck, and left a very dazed store clerk in his wake.

Apparently, the man hadn't taken kindly to Sasuke speaking to the snakes before he made his selection, so Sasuke felt responsible to blank out that particular memory. The clerk had all but tried to attack him with his wand, just because Sasuke was trying to talk to them.

Honestly, though. It wasn't as if he were talking to _frogs._

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"GAMATATSU, NO! That is _not food!_" Naruto clamored, panicking as he ripped away the whatever-it-was the small, talking frog was attempting to eat. He held Gamatatsu up by his jacket in one hand, and the lethal looking object outstretched in the other, as though fearing his amphibious friend would make another try at swallowing it.

The spherical, spiked ball in Naruto's hand sparked suddenly, shot out of his hand, and started putting around the room at speeds that would probably put holes in his new classroom if he didn't stop it soon. Letting out an alarmed yelp, Naruto dropped the troublesome frog and gave chase to the dark object. The blonde made a mental note to not go digging around in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom until he actually figured out what most of the dark objects were _for._

Gamakichi, the hungry frog's elder brother, cuffed his kin upside the head with a smugly exasperated look on his face. "Oi, what do you think you're doing? Trying to get killed?"

The younger frog whined, "But Naruto-nii brought us here, and I thought- I thought he would have snacks! I'm so hungry, Nii-san."

About to say something snippy about his brother's gluttonous habits, Gamakichi was interrupted by the surprisingly loud, yet not unexpected 'crash' of their human comrade falling into a large stack of jars and assorted metal objects. Already knowing that he wasn't hurt, because Naruto never really had been injured severely in all of Gamakichi's memory, he croaked, "Hey, try to be a little more like a shinobi, even if you're falling down all over the place."

Being dragged past by the sheer force of the rocketing little ball, Gamakichi noticed that Naruto had somehow gotten the spikes on it to retract, so he could hold onto it. A lot of help it did him; all the blonde was doing now was mopping the floor with his rear end.

"Okay, that's _enough _out of you!" Naruto bellowed at the mouthy orange frog. "Maybe it would be better if you actually helped me when I asked!- OUCH!" Scowling up at the sphere that was holding him half suspended by his hands, Naruto stopped himself from letting go to rub his head, as the evil little thing was trying to pull him right through a desk. He needed both hands just to hang on and stop it from destroying things. "Did this thing pick up some of Sasuke's personality, or am I just fun to throw through solid material?"

"Hm… Maybe both?" Gamatatsu offered, fishing a webbed hand through Naruto's bag. Upon finding an apple almost as big as himself, the yellow frog beamed happily and swallowed the fruit whole. Stomach bulging, he rolled off the desk, bounced off Naruto's head, and plopped onto the stone floor.

This was seriously the last time Naruto was going to ask these two to help him unpack his things.

Channeling his chakra easily, an annoyed look plastered on his face, Naruto cracked the sphere into two jagged pieces. He hadn't wanted to do that, partly because it wasn't his property, and partly because he wasn't sure if it would create a rip in the space-time continuum or not. He didn't have time to check if a portal had just opened in midair, though, because without the levitating metal ball, Naruto fell back down to the stone floor in a tangled heap.

Gamatatsu rolled past his feet, like some sad understudy of a tumbleweed.

Gamakichi hopped down beside him, and had he eyebrows, they would have been raised in open disbelief. He settled for skepticism. "So… You're supposed to be doing what, exactly, on this mission?"

Groaning dejectedly, Naruto sunk farther into his crumpled state on the floor.

"Uh… Teaching."

It was a true testament to frog sympathy that Gamakichi didn't laugh. Still, he wasn't about to offer words of condolences. He was more of the type to state the painfully obvious so things seemed about ten times more miserable than they already were.

"Ha. You're screwed."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Gamakichi, but the little orange frog remained unscathed. "I already know that. You're a real big help, you know _that?_"

Gamatatsu rolled by again, wailing miserably about how dizzy the entire fiasco was making him. He was ignored.

"If only there were some way I could make up a lesson plan or something, then I would at least be able to fake this well." Naruto screwed up his face a little, and kept glaring at Gamakichi. Still nothing. Why was it that Sasuke could glare everything and anything into oblivion, and Naruto couldn't so much as…

Oh-ho. Naruto grinned suddenly, canines gleaming.

Gamakichi's spine tingled, and he turned to look apprehensively at the blonde ninja. "Hey, what are you looking like that for?"

Evading the question, Naruto only smirked more widely. "We need to go find the owlery."

--..--..--..--..--..--

Eventually finding his way back to the Leaky Caldron, with a single, fairly large bag in tow, Sasuke muttered the password to his door and dropped his possessions on the floor, off to the side. The little snake poked her head out from under the neck of his robe, giving up the warmth of her owner's body to examine her surroundings. Sasuke discarded his sopping robe and hung it to dry over the footboard of the bed, carefully detaching the ebony body of his new companion, knowing from habitual experience that snakes often clung to things when they were being moved against their will.

Fetching a towel from the bathroom and setting the snake down on the bed when he returned, Sasuke tried to dry his hair as best he could. Rain beat relentlessly upon the window, seemingly persistent on trying to soak the Uchiha heir, even when he retreated indoors. Once he looked up from toweling his hair, Sasuke saw the little snake watching him curiously. Even the animal's facial expressions were apparent to him, he had spent so much time around them.

"So, do you have a name?" Sasuke formulated low hissing sounds, crafting them into words that the snake could understand. Orochimaru had also taught him how to communicate with the lesser summon creatures, as only the snakes that were direct descendants of the strongest summon, Mando, could speak Human. It was also a useful skill to be able to give the snakes instructions if there were enemies about. They couldn't very well understand him while he was hissing out directions to his snakes on how to kill them.

"Few humans speak to usss… You are the fist I know of." Her words slurred together in the expected shushed hiss, and her forked tongue flicked out to taste the air. "I was born to a cage, so I have no name."

Sasuke nodded lightly to her and put out his hand, palm up, so she could wind up his arm. She did so, hesitating only for a moment.

"Well, I can speak to you, so that is not an obstacle. It does not come naturally," he added, as he had read that some- very, very few, but some- wizards could speak to snakes without learning how. An article on Voldemort had informed him of such. "So I am sorry if I mislead you in my words. I am Uchiha Sasuke, and I request your assistance, if you would."

"Sasuke…? This is your 'name'?" His name had always run together horribly in snake language. It sounded odd, but he nodded in reply.

Considering for a moment, Sasuke said, "I will call you 'Hebi'. This will be your name."

The youngest Uchiha had never really claimed to be terrifyingly original. As long as he had something to address her by, that would do.

Hebi nodded slowly, tongue flickering. "What does it mean?"

"It means 'snake'," Sasuke stated simply, "At least you have a name, now."

"What does 'Uchiha Sasuke' mean, then?" Hebi coiled around his shoulder, rearing up to watch his face.

"The word 'Uchiha' means 'paper fan', but my first name… Nothing. My name means nothing." Standing and crouching in front of the empty fireplace, Sasuke pondered for a few moments, and stood once again to find one of the books that had been sent over for him. He nonchalantly leafed through the heavy text as Hebi processed his words.

She tasted the scent of the musty book and hid behind Sasuke's head to stay away from it. "If the name means nothing, then why does Master have it?"

Pausing for a moment in his search, finger stalling halfway down the page as he frowned, Sasuke merely answered, "…To make that which means nothing… mean something."

He didn't want to live up to being an Uchiha. He would be remembered as Sasuke. An Uchiha, yes, and proudly so, but people would know him firstly as an individual. He was not his family; he was not dead. Nor was he Itachi. Of course, it was only _because _of Itachi that he wasn't dead. Sasuke hadn't been important enough, not _strong _enough to pose a threat to him.

Sasuke snorted at the cruel logic of it all. Why kill someone that couldn't even defend themselves, unless you wished for them to grow? Surely, Sasuke had potential only to become a risk to his brother's life, after being left with hatred festering in his mind. Itachi _wanted_ someone to threaten his existence. He killed their family to see if he could do it, and he left Sasuke alive to see if his little brother could rise to the challenge and become greater than himself. It was no mistake Itachi had made when he had spared -spared? Was that even the right word for it?- his little brother's life. Uchiha Itachi did not make mistakes, so it was obvious that he expected Sasuke to become a 'something'.

"If… Master's name means 'nothing', he should change it so it means 'something'?" Hebi had sensed his sudden change of mood, and asked this quietly. The little snake had confused his words, thinking that 'Sasuke' literally meant 'nothing', when he had meant that there was no specific meaning to his name.

Mouthing a word silently from the text he was holding, trying it on for size, Sasuke drew his pale wand from his pants pocket before he replied carefully to the snake. "Sometimes, when humans speak, Hebi… we do not always mean what we mean."

Having had very little interaction with humans in her life, Sasuke knew that his little 'pet' would be ignorant to the ways humans manipulated each other. Expecting a simple and naïve response, Sasuke was vaguely surprised when Hebi answered, "You have to look farther than scales and skin to see what is happening, yes?"

Sasuke nodded shortly, lifted his wand, and whispered the incantation softly, channeling his chakra habitually through the wand. If he wanted anything to happen, he would have to use his chakra to do it. Hot sparks sputtered violently from the wand tip, and the bandages around Sasuke's hand from when he had punched Naruto started smoldering. Hebi took the initiative to hide behind the teenager's head once more. Tossing his wand calmly into the fireplace, Sasuke patted out his hand, not concerned, because it had not exactly gotten to the point of imitating a bonfire. There wouldn't be any burn damage. Absentmindedly, he stomped out a few of the larger embers before they charred the rug too badly.

"Hm, yes. Underneath the underneath." Sasuke could still remember Kakashi's motto of sorts, even after so much time and so many occurrences had passed.

Well, so much for his first try at magic. Though, what had he been expecting? He had chosen a simple spell, _Incendio, _hoping that because it was a fire conjuring enchantment, he would have had an easier time with it. Apparently, logic here did not apply. Sasuke wasn't deterred, though. He wasn't here to learn magic, but how to fit in with the magical world.

The wood in the fireplace suddenly burst into flames, the spastic sparks from his wand eventually heating up enough to ignite the logs, and Sasuke smirked wryly. That was one way to make it work…

"Master may want to take back his wand before it is burned, as well?" Hebi suggested lightly.

"I suppose I should." Sasuke flicked his hand to the side, and the wand flew into his grasp, no worse for the wear. He preferred to use chakra strings to getting his hands burned off. Crouching down, Sasuke held his arm to the floor so Hebi could slither off. "You can go near the fire, if you'd like."

She did so gladly, and curled up on the stones on the hearth, far enough away so she would not be burned.

Pacing languidly around the room, Sasuke went back to his pile of books and decided to read through them a little more, when he noticed the note on top he had left there, instead of disposing of it, as was his habit. Picking it up to reread the small piece of parchment, Sasuke still wondered at the words.

Dear Mr. Uchiha,

I have managed to smuggle these books out of the castle at your partner's request. Please make sure they are back safely by the start of term, for I am sure that Madam Pince will not have taken kindly to my 'tampering'. As you finish with each book, perhaps you will find time to return it by owl post, as to avoid the dear woman's noticing of so many texts missing at one time.

Best wishes,

Albus Dumbledore

Headmaster

Odd, wasn't it, that the Headmaster of such a grand school seemed to be afraid of upsetting a librarian? Dumbledore certainly was just that- odd.

Sasuke tossed the note into the fire and watched it curl, blackening at the edges. Suddenly, a loud tapping came from his window, and Sasuke was curious to see the rain-blurred image of a caramel coloured barn owl there, seemingly desperate to get inside. Quickly walking over and wrenching the window open, Sasuke let the sopping bird flutter in and watched as it hopped about on the floor, shaking out its feathers. Hebi hissed, affronted, as she was sprayed by the cold droplets flying around, but simply curled up more tightly and waited for the annoyance to desist.

Closing the window again with a little difficulty, as it kept getting stuck, Sasuke turned around to see the barn owl looking up at him expectantly. With a flutter of its wings, it came to perch on the circular little table beside the armchair, its leg stuck out. Immediately noticing the letter attached to the owl's leg, Sasuke removed it and unfurled the surprisingly dry scroll of parchment. His name was on the envelope, and he instantly recognized Naruto's handwriting. What could he possibly need already? They had only separated a scarce day ago. Frowning inquisitively, Sasuke scanned the letter quickly.

Soon thereafter, Hebi was dodging sparks from the fire, as her new Master had forcefully assaulted the fireplace with the balled up letter. She hissed her reprimand, but was quieted as she sensed the murderous rage that was virtually radiating from the dark haired teen. He started swearing in his native tongue, but even though neither owl or snake could understand, they fell back on their shared instinctual sense of self-preservation and took off so they were both well out of reach of the Uchiha.

"_Dammit, _Naruto. When I ask if you're _up_ to doing something, I don't mean your stamina! _Lesson plans_- You lazy moron!" Grumbling, Sasuke belied his wrath and his words, picking up books about the dark arts, preparing to write out ten months worth of educational joy for seven different levels. "Just because I have _books _doesn't mean I have the _time…_"

As Sasuke flung himself onto the bed, generally mumbled obscenities under his breath, but nonetheless worked his way steadily through vast amounts of note-taking, Hebi wondered if talking to nonexistent entities was something that she needed to read into to better understand humans.

Maybe her Master was just insane.

The barn owl, used to some of his letters causing such reactions in people, flapped up to perch on top of the chest of drawers, more than eager to wait out the rainstorm. That blonde obviously didn't know how hard it was to fly in gale force winds. The owl felt tempted to eat one of his frogs when he returned- but only after a long nap in the owlery.

--..--..--..--..--..--

The next few weeks passed in a frantic rush for the two shinobi. Naruto, unsure if Sasuke was going to come back with a lesson plan or a brutal ass kicking, had taken to trying to read up on his subject. Luckily, Defense Against the Dark Arts was a fairly interesting topic, even though it got pretty grotesque at times.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had risen to Naruto's 'challenge' magnificently, and had based his curriculum on several well rounded topics. (The only reason Sasuke had actually written up the notes for his partner was out of pure spite. Naruto owed him a favor. Possibly a new quill.) Spells, in theory and in practice; creatures, both common and dangerous; magical objects; basic politics that surrounded the uses and misuses of dark magic; and history of dark magic throughout time, so the students would be better able to procure means of understanding patterns in behavior made up most of the syllabus. Homework and reading assignments had also been included at periodic points of the notes.

Having written up the same structure in varying degrees of intricacy for all seven years, Sasuke had a sneaking suspicion that he was going to have very little trouble in Defense class. Perhaps the only problem to be had was his wand work. He had been working steadily on a few simple spells, mainly _Incendio, _but had yet to do anything more than make objects twitch, or send more sparks off from the tip of his wand. Sasuke wasn't too worried about it yet. He could always ask Dumbledore for advice, because hell if he knew how a wand was really supposed to work. For any 'abnormal' things to occur in a jutsu, Sasuke knew that chakra was needed, and could chakra not be considered a magical energy of sorts?

The Uchiha heir had spoken to Harry and his friends on occasion, but nothing terribly important had been exchanged between them. Sasuke didn't plan on forcing his company on them, because he just had that much time. Long term missions were great chances to see how one handled these sorts of situations.

Heaving an annoyed sigh, hands on his hips, Sasuke scanned his luggage and room for the umpteenth time that hour. He had sent back all of the library texts after he had done up Naruto's lessons for him, absolutely sick of looking at books by that time. There was a happy dividing line between cricked necks and gaining knowledge, and Sasuke was sure he had obliterated that line after the subsection on third year counter curses. Positive that he had not forgotten anything, he pulled on a black robe and latched a cloak over top. It was sunny outside, a definite upswing from the weather when he had first arrived, but it was still chilly. Autumn was coming quickly, and Sasuke still wasn't used to the climate change.

Today was a vital day for the mission. It was to be the first day Sasuke would be thrown into the presence of hundreds of wizards and witches.

That, and he was going to be on a train. Sasuke had only witnessed a train once before in his life, and he didn't exactly get a good look at it, as there was a mechanism on the cars that made itself useful by pelting hundreds of knives at him at a time.

He was all for second chances, though.

Hefting a suitcase up in either hand, Sasuke felt Hebi attach herself around his throat like a living, scaly necklace. This was far from bothering him, even when the little snake slipped under the cloak to keep warm. Sasuke glanced the room over once more, and then left, the mirror bidding a dry, "Don't suppose you'll send a postcard…?"

No, he didn't suppose he would.

Sasuke met up with Potter, Granger, and the three youngest Weasley boys in the lobby, all of them dragged down by a multitude of overstuffed bags and suitcases, with the exception of the twins. Harry and Ron also carried large cages, a snowy owl to Harry's, and a seemingly hyperactive dust ball in Ron's that Hermione's ugly ginger cat was eyeing predatorily.

"Sasuke, hey!" Harry greeted the Uchiha, grinning. The words felt more friendly than formal, which was good. "Are you going to come to King's Cross with us, or are you going to avoid human interaction some more?"

Scoffing lightly, Sasuke returned, "I'd interact with humans more often if there were some that behaved like the species they were born into."

Looking vaguely annoyed and reproachful, Ron interjected, "Are you coming with us or not? It's probably either you come, or get lost on the way there and get blown into smithereens by some loony of a Death Ea-"

"Ron!" Hermione shushed the redhead urgently. "Don't talk about that out in the open!"

Losing his irritated demeanor that he often used with Sasuke, Ron replied somewhat sulkily, "Hermione, everyone already _knows _that there are a bunch of crazies running around."

Sighing exasperatedly and rolling her eyes, Hermione explained, "Yes, Ron, but it makes people _uncomfortable. _It's sort of like how everyone knows you're terrified of spiders, but you don't like it when the subject is brought up."

Fred nodded lightly, chiming in, "She's got a point, you know."

"Valid case evidence," said George.

"Oh, shove it, you two." Ron glowered. Sasuke made a note to show Ron how to properly glower one day, because he looked rather like he was suffering an irksome bout of hunger pains while trying to stop himself from sneezing.

Strange. Sasuke found himself reminded of Naruto.

"Well, have fun at Hogwarts, you three- four." George nodded to the group at hand, almost forgetting to count Sasuke, then turned to his twin.

"Yes, do. Oh, how I miss the homework and exams and strenuous testing," Fred said dramatically. "Oh, and Snape. Wow, do I miss him. And say hello to Filch for us, will you? We miss coming round his little corner of the dungeons."

"Fond memories," George concluded. "But we must be off to tidy up the shop. Last minute shoppers always seem in abundance."

Hermione offered a pleasant 'goodbye', as did Harry, but Ron just groused under his breath. This didn't seem to concern the twins, because both of them beamed, pulled out their wands, and disappeared with a loud _crack_ apiece.

Not long after that, Hagrid showed up, informing the teenagers that there were Ministry cars waiting out front. The man -most likely an Auror- that was with Hagrid looked Sasuke over suspiciously for a long moment, and all the Uchiha presented in return was a quirked eyebrow, a tilted head, and a few low words, "I'm sorry, sir, but our ages are simply too great in difference. It wouldn't work out."

The Auror immediately discontinued being openly suspicious about the shinobi, and he straightened his back in dignified embarrassment. Ron sniggered, contradicting his dislike of Sasuke, Harry grinned, and Hermione managed to keep a mostly straight face.

Sasuke hadn't been joking, though. He'd forgotten how many grown men he'd thrown into walls over the years for coming on to him. _Most_ of them had been drunk. He had just been mocking the Auror, though. If he'd really been looking at Sasuke like a pervert, then there wouldn't be an Auror standing with them right now.

Simple as that.

After Hagrid assured the Aurors that Sasuke was not going to begin committing mass murders on any scale (at least not against anyone he had been hired to protect, but Sasuke didn't bother to add that), they piled into the cars, luggage packed into the trunks. Having never seen a car before, Sasuke was vaguely curious, but didn't show it. He merely followed the other's leads and sat inside, buckling the seat belt around his waist.

Really, the entire contraption was nothing more than a horseless carriage. Sasuke didn't want to take the time to figure out if the car was magical, mechanical, or a mixture of both worlds, because it didn't seem very important nor interesting. All Sasuke asked, to no one in particular, was if the thing was likely to explode. Due to the looks he received, Sasuke guessed that cars were never meant to blow up, or they did so very often, and it was simply common knowledge to know this. Ron seemed thoughtfully unsettled, but Harry and Hermione assured both mechanically inept boys that it was highly improbable they would die in a horrific ball of metal, carnage, and fire. This discomforted Ron even further, as ignorance to failing mechanics had kept him safe from such mental images in the past, but Sasuke merely nodded in comprehension. If the fire and carnage did ever come into play, all the better. He had never tried escaping from a twisted, rolling ball of metal before, and it sounded like a good thing to add to his list of accomplishments.

The ride to King's Cross was, overall, uneventful. Sasuke mainly listened to the exchanged conversations between the two wizards and one witch, ranging from school texts, guesses at who might be filling in for a 'Defense' class, Chocolate Frog cards, and Quidditch (which Sasuke had discovered to be a very popular sport played on broomsticks, and led to him wondering what these people swept their floors with). Every once in a while, either Harry, Hagrid or Hermione would try to bring him into the discussions, but Sasuke would reply with a minimal retort, or a tilt of his head.

He didn't feel the need to wear his heart on his sleeve at the moment. Sasuke wasn't outgoing and brash like Naruto, and he wasn't going to try to be. If Harry and his friends didn't naturally come to like him, Sasuke would have to pull some strings with their interactions so they would more readily speak to him. Ron obviously didn't like him, but Sasuke doubted that he would grow into a voice of doubt so the entire group saw the ninja as a threat.

Once they arrived at the train station, Sasuke and the others loaded their things on trolleys while the Aurors kept a sharp lookout for suspicious activities. Sasuke knew that the guards were there to protect Harry Potter, and thusly guessed that they would be some of the best that the Ministry of Magic had to spare. Yet, even though that train of thought was logical, Sasuke couldn't help but think that the Aurors seemed as jumpy and inexperienced as a new genin on a solo S-class mission.

But Sasuke was here to protect these three as well, and only Dumbledore, Snape, McGonagall, Naruto, and himself knew that. Hagrid may or may not have been informed, but Sasuke was sure that the giant of a man had at least been told that he was no ordinary student.

Walking briskly through the bustling crowd of Muggles, the Uchiha was only caught off guard for a second or two when Hermione ran straight through a wall and disappeared into thin air. Ron followed on her heels, and Harry turned to Sasuke, who had passed it off as a Genjutsu barrier.

"That's where platform nine-and-three-quarters is," Harry clarified, "I keep forgetting that you're new to Britain, and not just the school." The teenage wizard smiled at Sasuke and nodded to the seemingly solid wall, adjusting his grip on the trolley. "Do you want to share a compartment on the train, Sasuke?" Harry said this with an air of forced unconcern, as though he wanted Sasuke to accept the offer, but was being sure to leave enough room for the new student to turn it down. Whether Harry wanted him to come for the company, or courtesy so the Uchiha wouldn't have to be alone in a strange place, Sasuke couldn't tell.

"Aa," Sasuke nodded, pleased that Harry would invite him into his company after only two weeks of knowing each other.

Letting Harry run through the barrier to the platform first, Sasuke soon followed, and frowned lightly as the short, loud blast of a whistle sounded, heard clearly over the people saying goodbye to their parents and younger siblings as they boarded the long, scarlet steam engine. Sasuke felt Hebi squirm uncomfortably under his robe at the sudden change in atmosphere. Following Harry absently, pushing his own trolley full of luggage in front of himself, Sasuke looked up and examined the large train thoroughly. Quickly losing interest, he let his gaze scan the throngs of different people meandering about the platform. Thick clouds of smoke and steam hung about their feet, billowing from the stack atop the front train car.

Easily spotting Harry in the crowd, Sasuke silently gathered his luggage and carried it aboard, edging through the thin hallways behind Harry. He noticed that Hermione and Ron were not with them. As Harry passed compartments ahead of him, Sasuke saw some of the students staring at him, whispering, and in some instances, openly pointing. The Uchiha frowned more deeply when a few kids that looked about thirteen years old pressed their faces against the glass to watch Potter walk by.

Harry looked like he was making a tremendous effort to ignore it, and offered a strained, thin-lipped quirk of his lips to Sasuke. "I've… been in the newspapers a few times."

Scoffing, Sasuke said, "More than a few times, I hear. You're quite famous, I've found out since I've arrived here." Snapping his glare to the two kids ogling at Harry, Sasuke promptly kicked their compartment door in a blatantly pointed sort of message, shocking the pair and sending them back to their seats. "You do something more remarkable than the next guy can pull off, and everyone thinks you're a freak of nature."

Sasuke felt like he could relate to Harry in some sense. He had been on the receiving end of stares and whispers behind his back (which was pointless, really, because he was a shinobi and knew when someone was talking about him), but there was also fear there. Harry, like himself, was a person in the middle of something that his peers had never had to experience before, and they belittled him for it. No one would dare to have handled Sasuke in such an obviously disrespectful way, because his clan, and himself, were famous for being powerful. Harry had actually done things to stop dark wizards from taking over, and he was treated like a circus performer for it. Sasuke had done nothing but show people that he wouldn't hesitate to break bones in a very painful manner if someone looked at him in a weird way.

Most people made sure to not look at him any more.

Harry gaped at Sasuke for a moment, eyes wide, before he had the mind to close his mouth. It could have been any combination of things that made Harry look so surprised; anything from Sasuke stringing more than five words together at a time, his confession to finding out why exactly Harry was so well known, or Sasuke looking so livid about the people staring at him.

The Uchiha was currently shooting a nasty scowl to a group of fifth years, who collectively went back to their seats and pretended to not notice the pair of dark haired boys. He easily slid open the door of the two previously gawking third years' compartment , and shooed them out without saying a word. He looked imposing enough as it was, and they didn't need the hint words brought. Slipping into the now-empty space, Sasuke threw his luggage onto the overhead shelf, leaving the door open for Harry, who stood there for a moment longer before following his new companion, determinedly not looking at his fellow students.

"Er… Thanks, Sasuke." Harry watched the back of Sasuke's head unsurely, but set his snowy owl's cage down. "But you really didn't have to do anything like that, it was fine."

The situation tweaked Sasuke's emotions at a personal level, and though he knew it was unprofessional and careless of him to let that sort of thing happen, he also knew it was unavoidable on a mission that relied so heavily on relationships he made. Watching Harry simply try to ignore all those ignorant people made him irritated, and he couldn't immediately brush off the feeling, which irritated him even further. Taking the last suitcase right out of Harry's hands, Sasuke flung it up to rest with its fellows with an effortlessness that may or may not have left the other wondering.

"You can't let them treat you as a granted presence, Harry." Sasuke let out a slow breath before he turned to face the other teen, expression intense.

Harry's eyes hardened guardedly behind the round lenses of his glasses. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that they see you as 'Harry Potter: He who is destined to solve all our problems', not as who you are." Sasuke thought about sitting down, but didn't want to lower his height even more. Harry was already a few good inches taller than him.

The bespectacled boy's mouth tightened into a narrow line, and he shot back, "I appreciate that you got them to stop staring back there, but isn't that a bit thick to be saying that they don't know me? _You_ don't know me very well, either. All you know about me is stuff you've probably read in books or the _Prophet_." Harry didn't sound angry yet, but he was bordering on it.

Sasuke snorted, more calm now, "No, I don't know you very well yet. I know just as much as they do about you and your past, but I wasn't a person that asked you to show me that legendary scar, or what Voldemort looks like. My nose wasn't pressed to the glass, because I don't care about things like that. And I'm not afraid to tell you what I think about you just because you've had your name in the papers a couple hundred times." He smirked suddenly, and added, "If you don't like how I treat you, you're free to go find a booth full of people who want your autograph to sit with."

Harry, who had been ready to fire back heatedly, faltered at the unexpected reply. Sasuke was going to give him no special treatment, and he was going to kick Harry out if he kept arguing with him, even if it had been the raven-haired boy who had started it in the first place. He didn't know how to react at first, but took the time to settle down before he replied slowly, "You honestly don't care about how Voldemort is trying to kill me and… stuff?" Reaching out blindly for a seat, Harry never moved his emerald eyes from Sasuke's dark ones as he sat.

Following Harry's example, Sasuke unlatched his cloak, folded it neatly, and sat, keeping Harry's gaze evenly. "No. I don't particularly care if you wish to tell me about it or not, either. However interesting the topic is, it is still your business." Sasuke shrugged, and the thick anger that had been shared by both teens moments ago dissipated like a feeble fog, only to be replaced by a contemplative, if not slightly awkward on Harry's part, silence.

While Harry thought over Sasuke's words, and the Uchiha merely watched numerous students file past their compartment window, Hebi poked her small, triangular head out of the collar of Sasuke's robes.

"Master, I am hungry." She flicked her tongue near Sasuke's cheek for emphasis. Harry's eyes snapped up as he heard the strange, yet familiar, hissing words, and took a moment to pick out the small, black-blue snake from the darkness of Sasuke's robes. It occurred to Harry for a split second that Sasuke might be a Parseltongue, but he quickly doused that idea. Just because someone had a pet snake, didn't mean they had the power to speak to them.

"Er…" Harry started uncertainly, not wanting to give away that he knew how to speak to snakes. There was always a chance that the foreign boy hadn't found that out yet, "I think she might be hungry, maybe?"

Sasuke stared expressionlessly at the other teen for a few moments, and Harry had the fleeting feeling of being stared _through. _It was unnerving, and gave the same impression as having Legilimency used against him, but without the sensation of his mind being tapped. Harry found himself trying to block his mind, without thinking about it, just in case.

The raven-haired boy gave a short tilt of his head, casual and relaxed, and stroked a pale finger over his pet's head, the suffocating feeling of Sasuke's dark gaze snapping. "Hm, she probably is." Sasuke stood and reached up into the luggage rack, rummaging for the package of food he had packed for Hebi.

Shaking the feeling away quickly, Harry picked up the conversation again, "You do know that you aren't exactly allowed to have snakes for pets, right?"

Suddenly, the whistle sounded for a long, high-pitched wail, and the Hogwarts Express jerked into motion. Harry tensed in his seat so he wouldn't be thrown out, but his companion didn't seem to be having any trouble at all keeping his balance.

"It must have slipped my mind," Sasuke replied offhandedly.

Somehow, Harry had trouble believing that anything got by this boy unchecked.

Just as Sasuke sat back down, a small brown container in hand, someone knocked hesitantly at the door, slid it open, and asked, "Hi, Harry. Is it okay if… I mean, if it's okay with you, if we could-"

"I think Neville's wondering if we could sit with you, Harry." Luna Lovegood supplied airily, and walked into the compartment without waiting for an answer.

Harry looked to Sasuke, who hadn't raised protest, which seemed to mean it was alright with him, and shrugged. "Yeah, it's fine. Just leave some room for Ron and Hermione for when they get back, okay?"

"Where are they, anyway?" Luna seated herself primly on one of the spaces on Sasuke's side of the cabin, while Harry helped Neville put away his suitcases. "Oh, and who are you? I'm Luna Lovegood." The quirky blonde watched Sasuke pleasantly, like she wished for nothing more than for him to answer the question in his own good time.

Neville dropped into a seat beside Harry, looking at Sasuke briefly, not wanting to be accused of staring. In Neville's opinion, he looked very intimidating, but if Harry was okay with him, he obviously couldn't be too much bad news. Trouble was another thing entirely, of course. Harry himself got in trouble enough to attract friends of the same degree.

"Um, yeah," Harry supplied quickly, since Sasuke looked in no particular mood to answer Luna himself. "Hermione and Ron will be back, they're in the Prefect's car right now. And this is, uh, Sasuke. He's coming to Hogwarts this year."

Luna merely leaned forward, bordering on breaching the Uchiha's personal space, and stared at him inquisitively. "Do you have a case of tongibllies? Nothing to be ashamed of if you do, tong-tongers are impossible to sense until right before they attack you."

Sasuke's face was as stony as ever, and Harry silently commended him for his efforts. Harry himself was fighting down laughter, far too used to Luna's eccentric behavior to be too worried about her mental health. Slowly, the dark eyed boy turned his gaze away from Luna and stared flippantly out of the window, leaving Luna surprisingly unruffled.

"What are those things anyway, Luna?" Neville asked, smiling slightly, as was tradition when Luna said something like this.

"Well, he's obviously had his tongue stolen away by a tong-tonger. They're invisible, winged creatures, similar to gremlins and imps. They steal your tongue away so you can't talk about seeing them, which is quite silly, because you can only ever see them when they attack you. Paranoid little things, and very secretive."

Sasuke suddenly found himself fighting the incredibly childish urge to stick his tongue out at her, surprising even himself. He clamped his jaw firmly shut and stared still more resolutely at the blurred scenery. Harry couldn't help but to grin; he was in good company, and was going back to Hogwarts. His hand slipped into his jeans pocket, and he fingered the badge that he carried with him. Quidditch Captain… It would definitely be tough to fit a team together, but he felt confident. Sirius would have been proud; happy for his godson's success.

Harry frowned abruptly and looked up at Sasuke, who was staring listlessly at the uniform streak of green trees. Following his gaze, Harry felt a twinge in his chest, the memory and loss of Sirius still painfully fresh. Yet, even though it was horrible to remember that his godfather was gone now, Harry had tried to move on. It was still a touchy subject, to be sure, but Harry knew that Sirius wouldn't have wanted his best friend's son to stop his life because of him. Sirius would have wanted Harry to be happy. He would have wanted Harry to have a life to live.

Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione returned from their instructions and rounds of the train cars, Ron looking thoroughly bored and glad to be back. With nothing interesting to report other than that the Creevy brothers were wondering where Harry was, and that Ron quite bluntly told them to shove off and mind their own business because he was irate enough with having to tell the first years to stay in their compartments, thank you very much, the pair of them took their seats.

The time passed amiably as the Express clacked away over the miles of track. While Neville and Luna told of their summer holidays, Harry, Ron, and Hermione told edited versions of their own. It would have been bordering on stupidity to say all what had really happened, as it was so wrapped up in the Order, the Ministry, and Dumbledore himself. Sasuke was kept out of the conversations for the time being. Harry knew by now that he would join if he liked, and not until then.

The raven-haired boy had finally lost interest in the wide expanse of indistinct landscape he had been staring at, and stood up to retrieve one of his textbooks. He had memorized nearly the entirety of the volume, but flipping leisurely through the spells seemed a good way to pass the time. Hebi, who was still resting around Sasuke's neck, started at the sudden, unexpected movement of her master, and fell to the compartment floor.

Hermione gave a little shriek; Ron and Neville jumped to their feet in a mix of alarm and surprise. Pig, not one who wanted to be left out, shrilled loudly from his cage. Hedwig hooted in annoyance. Sasuke didn't see any reason to be concerned, really, until Crookshanks leapt down from the seat beside Hermione and circled around Hebi predatorily.

The little ebony snake hissed, rearing her head up defensively. Sasuke looked to her and murmured, "Hebi, come," in very firm English. Harry did not expect the snake to understand, and was about to stand up to save her from Hermione's cat, but Hebi obeyed, slithering over to Sasuke, who crouched and outstretched his hand for her.

The noise died down almost immediately, except for Pig, who did not seem to see any reason to be quiet.

Ron was the first to speak. "Wait, that's _yours?_" He seemed both confused and relieved at the same time, sitting back down stiffly. "Blimey, I was expecting…" A heavy sigh, then Ron started abruptly and stared avidly at Sasuke, "Hey, show us your forearms, would you-?"

"Ron! He can't have been, Dumbledore has had his background checked, Hagrid even said so!" Hermione looked aghast with Ron's request, looking to Harry to help her convince Ron of her point as she pulled Crookshanks onto her lap. Harry looked unsure, yet apprehensively curious. Luna and Neville looked worried, but Luna in a vaguely unconcerned way.

Sasuke rolled up both of his sleeves, first the right, then the left, showing both arms plainly to the group. The group half jumped when they saw the winding, stylized snake tattoo that wound up his left forearm, but Harry muttered, calmed, "That's not it…"

He had an idea of what they were talking about, but did not know why Ron had wanted to see his forearms specifically. "It's alright to ask, you know. If I have nothing to hide, I have nothing to worry about." He sat back down, opened the book on his lap, and started to read, purposefully leaving his sleeves rolled up to allow them to further inspect his arms, in case any doubt had settled in the backs of their minds.

There was a long, tense silence, before Luna exclaimed, comforted, "Oh, good! His tongue wasn't taken after all!"

Ron looked at her bizarrely, and slouched backwards with a groan of anguish. "Wake me when we get there, will you?"

Harry stared at Crookshanks for a moment, thinking heavily. The last time the ginger cat had gotten wound up over a pet, Ron's rat had turned out to be an ex-friend of his fathers, who had then managed to bring Voldemort back to his own body and back to power… But what if the cat was being just that- a cat? Sasuke didn't have the Dark Mark tattooed onto his arm, after all. Harry watched Sasuke from across the compartment. The foreign boy was quiet and somewhat intimidating to be around, and Harry was glad to not be on his bad side, but that wasn't enough to pin him as a Death Eater. Harry himself could speak to snakes, and wasn't that considered one of the Dark Arts? Assuming things wouldn't do well in this situation. Also, as Hermione had said, Dumbledore himself had let Sasuke into the school. There was no way that Dumbledore would let anyone even a little suspicious in at a time like this.

Comforting himself with that thought, Harry concluded that Sasuke was not a person he would worry about. Just because he was not of the norm didn't make him an associate of Voldemort's. As Sirius had said, the world was not composed of people who were 'good', with the Death Eaters as leftovers.

When the food trolley came, not even Ron felt up to eating anything sweet.

The sky was beginning to darken, and it was then that Hermione cleared her throat, softy suggesting that they all change into their uniforms. Everyone had thought to wear the white button-up shirt underneath their Muggle clothing, and the girls were already in their skirts, so not many outfit adjustments had to be made. When they were all changed and settled down again, Sasuke looked out of the window and folded his thick cloak over his robed lap to put on before they left the train.

"Are you cold?" Neville broke the pregnant silence that had permeated the compartment for the last little stretch of time.

Sasuke's eyes swept over to Neville, and he nodded after a short pause. "It is very warm where I come from," he answered quietly.

There was another long period, where the only sounds were voices coming from other compartments, and the constant mechanical clank-_whirr _of the train. Ron shifted his weight slightly and asked, "… Ever seen snow before?"

"Once, when I was younger," Sasuke answered, remembering Haku, Zabuza, and the bridge. "But I do not recall it well." In truth, the week or so after his own 'death' was foggy while he nursed his battle wounds. It was hard to believe that he had only been twelve then, still young and naïve in his own right. What would happen now, if Haku were still alive, and they faced each other seriously, Haku without his merciful attitude?

"You're in for a shocker, this year, then." Ron grunted passively.

Harry stared out of the window, looking up ahead, cheek nearly pressed to the chilled glass. Small, yellow pinpricks of light sped closer as the seconds drew by. "I can see the platform, guys. We should be getting ready."

Collectively, the group stood, and all but Sasuke stretched out their sore bodies. Perhaps he was not a Death Eater, but a robot? Harry entertained this thought with a small smile, and reminded himself to see if Sasuke stopped functioning properly when they arrived at Hogwarts.

Luna stowed away the latest edition of '_The Quibbler' _that she had pulled out to read ('Colonies of mice invade New Hampshire!'), Neville triple-checked that Trevor was still safely inside his pocket, and Harry told Sasuke that his luggage would be taken care of.

When they stepped out onto the platform, Sasuke heard Hagrid calling for the first years to follow him. He wondered if he should follow that group, because he was not technically initiated into the school yet, but decided to keep following Harry and his friends. Pulling on his cloak, he tagged along until they came to a long cavalry line of carriages, all drawn by dark, skeletally framed, winged horses. Sasuke stared at the one nearest to him as Ron, Hermione, and Harry climbed into the carriage. Neville and Luna climbed into the next one over with a redheaded girl and a boy with brown hair.

"Sasuke, come on." Harry held the door open from the inside, waiting for Sasuke to climb in.

He did so, and settled in beside Hermione. Frowning, he muttered, "Strange horses. What breed are they?"

As the carriage began to move forwards, Hermione bit her lip and said slowly, "Thestrals. They're Thestrals."

"Ah," said Sasuke, undeterred by the information.

Harry wondered why Sasuke was so nonchalant about that matter. Was it simply because he did not know of the circumstances one had to experience to see the Thestrals, or because death was not something that bothered him in the least? He hoped for the former to prove true, especially since Ron was giving him an 'I told you so' look out of the corner of his eye.

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Eventually making it up to the castle, Harry sat down at the Gryffindor table, between Ron and Hermione. Sasuke stood at the back of the room, out of the way, and Harry had to look very carefully to find out where he was.

"I guess he hasn't been sorted yet," Hermione said. "Do you think he knows how the Thestrals are seen? I wouldn't think he'd be so uncaring about it if he didn't…"

Ron shrugged, a dark look upon his features. "If you think about it, why would he have said anything about being able to see them if he hadn't known? If I wanted to keep it secret that I was some murderous whacko, I'd keep my mouth shut about things like that. That being said, I still don't have a good feeling about him."

"But you just finished saying that he doesn't act like a murderous whacko," Harry pointed out.

"I know, I know!" Ron's eyebrows lowered thoughtfully. "But what if he's sending us subtle hints, and he _wants _us to know that he's a loony?"

"Dumbledore said it's okay," Hermione stated resolutely. "We must remember that before we go and assume things."

Unable to come up with a point to counter that argument, Ron shrugged. "Whatever. But if he gets to close to our drinks, I've got dibs on Stunning him."

Within a few more minutes in which Ron complained about the lack of food to be had, Dumbledore gave out the usual start-of-term speech, Ron whined more, and the first years stood milled about an old wooden stool, Professor McGonagall placed the tattered Sorting Hat upon the battered piece of furniture. Everyone in the hall watched the hat expectantly, and the first years shuffled to and fro nervously.

A rip near the brim of the hat opened suddenly, and a rusty, brash voice issued from it, and the Sorting Hat began its song. The crowed hushed; the younger students in anticipation, the elder ones in mild interest.

I've seen the years as they come and close,

As easily as come night and day.

With bigger brains students have left,

More open hearts and minds in heft.

Hogwarts helps them on their way.

Here we are yet once again,

But how do I decide?

Where do I place those now young,

How to chose where best they are among?

The answer, my friends, is to divide.

To be divided is surely wrong,

You all may say, aghast.

Friend from friend; heart from heart,

But is fondness not greater when apart?

Of friends, let me say my last.

Of Gryffindor and Slytherin,

Could be said they shared one heart.

But greatest of woes,

They turned fearful foes,

Is this where the division was to start?

Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw,

They saw it most befitting,

To spend some time away,

(Perhaps this is where things went astray?)

Here, friendship was left sitting.

Each witch and each wizard,

From those famous four,

Made me here as you see today,

So I would put you on your way,

And give you the key to the proverbial door.

Yet as powerful as Hogwarts' Founders were,

Each and every one must learn from their mistake,

And never take for granted the bonds that we all give,

For it is by these bonds, these links, that we all must live.

Defy my own division and forge these as you take.

Reach out from yourselves,

And ignore the protesting din,

For if we do not become strong,

These years become longer than long,

And Hogwarts will crumble right from within.

There was a general applause from the audience, but it was punctured by whisperings, some giving their friends questioning looks. It had sounded like the Sorting Hat was trying to tell them to, of all things, get along with other houses. Before much interpretation could be given to the song, though, McGonagall pulled out a long scroll, and called the first name on the roll.

"Aberfrost, Quinn!"

A short boy with blonde hair scurried up to the stool, and McGonagall dropped the hat upon his head. After a few moments, the Sorting Hat bellowed, "Hufflepuff!" Quinn stood up, shaking slightly, and went to join the cheering Hufflepuff table.

Sasuke watched this progress with his arms crossed as he leaned against the back wall. His eyes roved over the staff table -he recognized Dumbledore and Snape- and he found Naruto. A small, amused smirk tugged at his lips. Clever, Uzumaki. Naruto had used a Henge to make himself look a little older, so he appeared to be in his mid-twenties. There wasn't a lot of change, just a subtle alteration of the facial structure. It was a good thing that Naruto had such stamina, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to hold that form all year. Sasuke, himself, doubted he would have been able to do the same. (_'Delburst, Jared!', 'Slytherin!'_)

Only one or two people had noticed him standing there in the shadows, but they hadn't gotten a good look at his face. McGonagall called out another name (_'Glenfold, Erin!'_), and Naruto finally caught his eye. The blonde grinned and waved, even though Sasuke shot him a glare. The Uchiha didn't want any attention drawn to himself at the moment, even though there would obviously be a lot of questions raised when he was sorted. He wondered if the hat would put him in Gryffindor, so he could properly keep an eye on Harry. Even if he was supposed to be watching Draco, that was only the secondary part of the mission. Keeping Potter safe was the top priority, and besides, Sasuke could always spy on Draco from afar.

The crowd was becoming impatient as the group of first years dwindled down, and the last girl was sorted, (_'Sonnet, Veronica!', 'Ravenclaw!'_), some looked eagerly at Dumbledore for him to start the feast. The Headmaster, however, looked inquisitively to Sasuke, who nodded, and stood up to address the school.

"Welcome, to our new students indeed! Certainly, it is time to greet new faces of all ages. It is my pleasure to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Uzumaki." Here, Dumbledore waved an arm to the blonde, who nodded in thanks for the introduction, beaming. "As well as an exchange student who has come to join us from Eastern Asia to complete his education. This has not occurred for some time in Hogwarts history, and I do hope that you will all be tolerant of his customs." He surveyed the crowd over his half-moon spectacles, and the students looked around for this mysterious new student.

Sasuke took his cue in stride and pushed off from the wall, letting his arms fall to his sides, and walked silently down the aisle to the little wooden stool. Students murmured curiously as he passed, and a few girls giggled excitedly. Sasuke held in a sigh, and sat down calmly. His eyes flicked over to the Slytherin table, and he saw Malfoy watching him disgustedly. He should perhaps try to speak to the hat and convince it to place him in Gryffindor… Still, it didn't much matter to him which house he was placed in.

"Uchiha, Sasuke," McGonagall read from her list, lips pressed firmly together. She handed him the Sorting Hat, entrusting him to be able to find his own head, unlike she had with the first years.

Sasuke lifted the hat, and had barely gotten it high enough to look at from eye level, before the Sorting Hat gave a great, roaring bark of, "_SLYTHERIN!"_

Well, surprise, surprise. Sasuke blinked for a moment and handed the hat back to McGonagall, whose lips were pressed even more tightly together, eyebrows contracted.

He stood, and wondered if he should be nervous because of the silence. Draco glared viciously at anyone sitting at the Slytherin table who dared to raise their hands to clap, and the other three houses stared at Sasuke strangely, as though he were some sort of alien life form. Rolling his eyes to the room in general, Sasuke took his seat at the Slytherin table, across from Draco Malfoy. A short-lived smattering of applause came from the staff, and whoever saw it polite to welcome him -mostly girls- but most were still bothered about how quickly the Sorting Hat had reacted.

Back at the Gryffindor table, Ron hissed, "What did I tell you!"

Harry frowned thoughtfully and looked to Hermione, who shrugged helplessly at him. Even though Ron was going to harp on about his being right for a long time, Harry still wasn't going to be so quick to judge. After all, the Sorting Hat had very nearly put Harry in Slytherin. Only because he wanted to be in Gryffindor was he placed in the lion's house. Harry had never told Ron and Hermione this, but he couldn't help but feel that Sasuke and himself shared an uncanny amount of similarities.

"Now, I do believe we are approximately three and a half minutes overdue for the start-of-term feast!" Dumbledore smiled, checking his pocket watch. "Let us all be befuddled by this food before 'much ado over nothing' comes into play, shall we?" The Headmaster sat in the high-backed chair in the middle of the staff table, and hundreds upon hundreds of golden plates and goblets were graced with food and drink of all sorts.

Immediately, cheerful banter rose up among the students, like the savory aromas, as they helped themselves to roast beef and chicken, potatoes, several different types of vegetables, and, oddly enough, rice. Even Ron found himself so pacified by the sudden appearance of food, he couldn't find anything to complain about even if he were asked.

Naruto, grinning at Sasuke over a steaming bowl of ramen from the staff table, mouthed to his dark-haired associate, 'Already popular!'

Sasuke gave him a pointed look, 'Naturally, moron,' and turned to pick over a plate of rice and fried chicken. He lifted his goblet in greeting to Malfoy and smirked, "Cheers, housemate."

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TBC

I know I promised cursed socks; and I planned to include them, too, but I think it will fit it better with the next chapter. Now that Sasuke is actually at Hogwarts, I can have more of Naruto's stuff, too.

This chapter was only half beta-ed, but I will post a revised version when it comes back. If this chapter seemed too rushed, too slow, or just right, could you tell me? I can't tell on my own. XD

Thank you for reading! The next chapter will be up when I finish it, because I do not write that much, and I am busy anyway. XD You guys are amazingly patient, please keep up that mindset!


	7. Socks Attack! Citrus Disaster!

**Neon: **I apologize yet again for my tardy updates! I'm trying very hard to kick the habit, but I am trying to push myself while I write this. I'm freshly 16 (well, birthday was in May), and am no J.K. Rowling, but I'm trying my very best to make this story as real as humanly possible. I also have a job now, but I'll still try to update every 2-3 months. (School is _killing me._ D: )

Disclaimer: I took up two parking zones today because I can't make a car work properly. Almost gave dad a heart attack. :D And Ebony, you rock for being my beta. Mucho gracias, as they say. XD

And Snape's potions class? I know that Harry needed a high mark to get in, and I'm not changing his O.W.L. mark, but dammit I want potions classes. We can bleep out that one little thing and get away with it, right? XD

Oh, yes. I am going to put more Naruto in, for sure, but the story still revolves _mainly _around Sasuke. I've envisioned most of it from Sasuke's actions, but there will be lots of Naruto as well. Sasuke's just a messed up kid and so easy to write for me. XD And, to those who misread it in the last chapter's notes, THERE WILL BE **NO** PAIRINGS. Thank you.

There have been questions about Sasuke communicating with Hebi. He is, technically, speaking Parseltongue, except he has learned it instead of just knowing, like Harry does. Hebi can understand some of his English, though, just by the tone. Harry doesn't know that Sasuke can speak to snakes yet. 8D Naruto speaks to his summons in English, as they are direct descendants of Gama Oyabun and can speak with humans. Just like how Mando and his direct kin can speak English. Hope that clears things up.

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Dai 7 Wa - Sock Attack! Citrus Disaster!

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The door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was composed of five sturdy wooden boards, possibly oak or redwood. There were two thick, horizontal strips of metal, one at the top and one at the bottom, that were riveted to prevent the door from falling apart, which was good. If it were to spontaneously collapse, it would render the concept of a door entirely pointless.

If you sort of squinted at the wood grain from far enough away, and tilted your head a little, there looked like there was a little man with a large nose sitting on a malformed toadstool staring back at you.

Naruto, nervous about his first day teaching? Bite your tongue. He was simply staring at the door in hopes of memorizing what it looked like. The school was a big place, and if he got lost, he could take comfort in the fact that he knew exactly what his classroom door looked like.

It wasn't like he was anxiously waiting for the first student to walk in so he could dive behind the desk, or anything silly like that.

Grinning suddenly, Naruto shook his head at the empty seats in front of him and plucked a very thick pile of parchment off his desk. He was getting as paranoid as Sasuke, who, bless him, had written up all of the lesson plans for him. Naruto had been expecting a few notes here and there, perhaps ideas for topics, but Sasuke, being the anal maniac he was, wrote down every lesson almost word for word. There was even a calendar that told Naruto what to teach on what days, for every single year. The Uchiha had even gone so far as to include extra review time for the fifth and seventh years.

Freak.

As it was, Naruto still hadn't gotten mauled by Sasuke's Tangible Wrath, and he wanted to keep it that way. McGonagall was the one who delivered the papers to him, since Sasuke had had to go to his dorm. He couldn't have been too bitter about it, or else he would have withheld the plans.

Naruto ran that sentence back to himself in his head, and cringed.

No, Sasuke was fully capable of being bitter. But the Uchiha would more readily invite Itachi over for afternoon tea than do something that had even the smallest chance of messing up a mission.

Scratching a cheek, Naruto checked his timetable for the day. Some second years, first thing in the morning. Then he had a group of fourth years, lunch break, then the sixth years who still wanted to take the course, and finally the first years. The remaining years were crammed in for tomorrow, so Naruto ended up having a free period every other day, just after lunch. That didn't seem too terrible. He had to deal with Sasuke in third period, though.

Well, lunch was first, at least. He could have a final meal. The timetable was, in any case, more merciful than his teammate.

Flipping a large chunk of parchment over so he passed through the first year's material, Naruto scanned the first entry for the second year students, still boggling on the thoroughness of the notes, and simultaneously entertaining a worrying notion about the mental state of his partner.

Naruto blanched when he noticed the margins were full of spiky-haired stick figures with scratched cheeks, all in varying and disturbingly creative degrees of distress. In his opinion, Sasuke had gotten a little out of hand when the maces were doodled in.

Laughing weakly, Naruto sincerely hoped that Sasuke was in a fairly manageable mood by the time third period rolled around. Over the years, he had discovered that his head was quite fond of being attached to his neck.

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Sasuke had been scrutinizing the top of his four poster bed since he had arrived in the Slytherin sixth year boy's dormitory, unable to sleep. He wasn't uneasy about his classes today, he was certain of that. There was _something _keeping him awake, though, but he couldn't _quite _put his finger on it.

Wincing furiously as a long, appallingly loud snore sounded for what seemed to be the trillionth time that night, Sasuke gripped the green bed sheets, and felt safe to hazard a guess at Goyle's snoring.

Sasuke slept lightly, and was prone to causing various lacerations to those who slept around him. Wonderful for saving his own skin from an invading presence, but not so much for times like these.

Crabbe, who was just as thickheaded as his counterpart, apparently thought that Sasuke might enjoy a duet consisting of grunts and the general sounds of blocked nasal passages, and joined in with Goyle. Sasuke would have been the first to say that no, he did not.

Purposefully pushing all potential projectiles out of his immediate reach and telling himself it was all for the sake of the mission, Sasuke dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, not bothering to suppress the pained look on his face.

If he made it through the year without killing anyone he wasn't supposed to kill, Sasuke was going to demand a pay raise.

Eventually, Sasuke managed to convince his subconscious that no one was going to attack him, and was permitted to drift into a fitful bout of sleep.

When the raven-haired boy woke up somewhat reluctantly half an hour later, he found himself to be the only soul in the room. He sat up and fully pulled back the emerald hangings of his four-poster bed, frowning inquisitively to the four empty beds he was presented with.

Odd. He wasn't aware that other people shared his habit of waking up at ungodly hours of the morning. Sasuke was ready to bet that Crabbe and Goyle were not the type to have that sort of motivation on their own, so Malfoy had probably dragged them away. Sasuke had passed off the other boy, Zabini, as not threatening.

Unbuttoning his pajama top as he tried to kick his brain into awareness, Sasuke considered a handful of different perspectives for fun, scattering them out in his imagination like so many gambler's dice. Draco was certainly up early- no reason to be suspicious, but Sasuke liked to pretend- so what was the boy doing, if not sleeping?

Pulling on his white school shirt and taking a moment to yawn before he tackled the silver and green striped tie, the Uchiha listed off a few ideas as they came to him. Bathroom, perhaps? No, not with his cronies tagging along. Breakfast wasn't served this early in the morning, so that couldn't be it. Even if it were, he highly doubted Crabbe and Goyle would rose themselves just to grab an extra piece of toast before class. Alright, then, so much for the more innocent explanations. The only other reason Sasuke could think of that the trio would be absent was because they had been up to some sort of mischief, but what could they have done on the first day of term?

Quickly yanking on his uniform pants and doing up his belt, Sasuke put his hands on his hips and frowned thoughtfully. Well, whatever Draco may or may not have done could only be potentially lethal to a certain point, at which time it would invert to the polar opposite of the supposed intention and end up not killing anyone, if killing someone had been Draco's aim from the beginning. In either case, you could only kill a person so dead. Simple enough.

Sasuke shrugged and wandered over to his trunk to pick out a pair of socks to wear for the day. It wasn't like he couldn't handle anything Malfoy doled out, after all. Suddenly, Sasuke's trunk jumped, teetering on its short legs, and he stared at it for a long moment, like his luggage jolted around all of the time but the novelty of looking surprised still served as an enjoyable pastime.

"What the- ?"

Looking down to the black sock he had been about to pull onto his foot, Sasuke looked even more baffled as it squirmed in his hand. Holding it open, he peered inside, wondering for a split second if Hebi had somehow managed to wriggle into his sock to sleep for the night.

Sasuke didn't have time to remember that his socks had been rolled up and trunk locked, because his mind was both groggy and distracted- the latter mostly caused by the sole fact that his sock had chosen just that moment to bite him soundly on his fingers. Two things could be noted of the Uchiha's personality at the moment; firstly, he did not appreciate his fingers being bitten, and secondly, Sasuke did not know how to use a wand, so knives and other unpleasant metal objects became substituted in situations such as these.

In another few seconds, Sasuke had punctured so many holes in the material of his socks that he was pretty sure he wouldn't be receiving the manufacturer's warranty, had socks even come with that kind of thing in the first place.

This was not a good start to his morning; it was barely light out and he already felt ready to level a few hectares of forest. Scowling, Sasuke discarded his very dead socks, and flipped open his over-excited trunk, ready for the bundles of socks that leapt out to try and tear his face off.

Several minutes later, Sasuke left the Slytherin dungeons with a wide, snake-got-the-canary smirk spread across his face, an invisible chakra barrier over his luggage and a stolen pair of Draco's socks on his feet. Perhaps it was a good thing he had a habit of waking up so early; anyone that would have happened across him in the corridors on his way to the Great Hall would have very readily turned on their heels and went back the way they came.

--..--..--..--..--..--

Naruto's stomach growled loudly, either hungry, or stating that the shinobi was currently demonstrating exactly how _not _to sit in a chair and the organ was thusly upset at being situated upside down. Sighing heavily, Naruto righted himself and stood, ignoring the rush of blood out of his head, and wondered if it was safe to go steal some breakfast from the Great Hall. Sasuke would be there, but classes started in just under an hour, and he was _starving. _

Face impending doom or have his stomach throw a fit, erode his stomach lining into an ulcer and eventually eat itself? Naruto would very much like to say the first one was at least going to be a quick way to end, but he didn't have much confidence in saying so.

The man on the toadstool seemed to have grown an odd sort of gleeful, mocking smile since Naruto had last looked. It wouldn't have surprised him to find out the door was actually making fun of him- just last week a suit of armor had laughed at him as he had nearly walked straight over the edge of the floor. That hadn't been Naruto's fault, though. He swore that the staircase had been there before he had stopped to have a conversation with one of the portraits.

At any rate, he wasn't going to stand for his own door laughing at him. Making sure he put away the lesson plans and notes he had scribbled for himself, Naruto locked the classroom door as he left. Using a quick chakra seal that almost any genin could undo, but the '_Alahomora' _spell Dumbledore had forewarned him of was pretty much unable to penetrate, Naruto stared at the wood for a moment longer. Even on this side, the warped little mushroom man was visible. Strange, that the same pattern was on both sides, inside and out. Shaking his head, Naruto decided he just needed some food to help him focus, and plodded down the corridor, hands in his robe pockets and mind scampering behind a small smile to figure out a way to avoid Sasuke as much as possible.

The man in the door grinned more widely, and Peeves poked his head out from the worn, polished wood, snickering impishly. "Ooh, exciting! What will new blondie teachy do without his lovely plansies? Dummydore is hiring such slackers these days! Time for old Peevesy to teach him a lesson he might actually remember!"

Cackling, the resident poltergeist of Hogwarts school sucked himself back into the door with nothing more than a muted _thump _of bad omen.

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Greeting a few unfamiliar staff members as he dawdled to the Great Hall, Naruto sighed and resigned himself to his fate, whatever it may hold. He slouched into the massive room and scanned the area quickly, and was relieved to find that Sasuke was not here yet.

Feeling slightly more at ease, Naruto walked up to the staff table and sat at his appropriate spot, surveying the few students that peppered the four house tables over a bowl of cornflakes. A few Ravenclaws spared the new Defense teacher a curious glance, and a handful of first year Hufflepuffs, anxious for their first day of school, spoke in excited whispers to each other. It was a little outlandish to sit here above all of them, watching the students from the eyes of a teacher. This Henge made him _look_ older, but he didn't _feel_ like he commanded much authority. Frowning as he lifted the spoon to his mouth, Naruto hoped that he would be convincing enough to actually _teach_ these kids something useful. He wasn't just here to do a mission, right? One of his responsibilities was to ensure that the students of Hogwarts benefited from his class.

Stirring the cereal idly in his bowl, Naruto propped up his head on his free hand. Allowing himself a reassuring smile, he reminded himself that he was a great shinobi. Tsunade had picked _him and Sasuke _for this mission, so she must have faith in them. Naruto wasn't great at being undercover, and Sasuke needed to be under scrutiny almost all the time to make sure he wouldn't snap or something, but she had still chosen them.

Naruto honestly hoped that Sasuke was going to be okay about everything going on. It felt like Sasuke was doing a lot better, like he was seeing things more clearly now. He was probably still looking through frosted glass, but he didn't seem as bent on destroying everything good that he hadn't realized he deserved. Naruto was glad for this improvement- Sasuke needed friends just as much, or even more, than the next person.

The only thing that was really worrying him was Sasuke's attitude. He was going to overwork himself, Naruto could feel it somehow. Even before this mission had started, Sasuke had proved that the insane training regimen the dark haired boy had sustained when he was twelve was child's play compared to what he was doing now. Sometimes Naruto would be unable to sleep at night, and felt heavily inclined to check in on his teammate at ludicrous hours of the morning just to make sure he hadn't run himself into the ground yet.

It was disturbing that Naruto had actually had to force Sasuke to just _stop _and _rest _once in a while. The Uchiha was like a machine trying to work with a human body. Naruto was always trying to push himself, too, and had, once or twice, ended up passing out from over-training himself, but it was a constant thing with Sasuke. Naruto worried that the Uchiha was going to end up making himself sick without realizing it.

There wouldn't be a lot of physical combat involved in this mission, unless Voldemort and his followers got hot-headed. Naruto doubted that was going to happen, so that could only mean that Sasuke would start trying too hard _mentally_ in an attempt to compensate for his forced state of idleness. Naruto knew his friend was a perfectionist to a fault, but as they got older, he only realized it more. It was as if he subconsciously tried to find ways to keep himself constantly uncomfortable.

Scooping the last of his cornflakes into his mouth, Naruto firmly vowed to keep an eye on Sasuke- well, more than he was already supposed to, at least. It wouldn't be very fun to have to report back to Konoha that Sasuke had gone loopy from self induced mission stress.

Actually, as situations such as those were always taken more lightheartedly when they didn't really happen, Naruto made a mental note to tell everyone that Sasuke _had _gone crazy. Just to see their reactions.

Scratching his chin, Naruto gave a feeble sort of giggle. '_No… Sasuke and Sakura both would probably not find that very funny.' _It was bad enough to have either one of them after his head for one thing or another, but Naruto was smart enough to not provoke both of them at the same time.

The tall front doors of the Great Hall creaked open from the other side of the room, and Naruto sat bolt upright, ripped from his thoughts as he gripped the edge of the table like a man about to face his wife and her rolling pin after a night of rowdy drunkenness. A very nervy smile plastered itself on his face, and he took a moment to run through his preferences of action.

Running showed promise.

Professor Flitwick, who had intended to introduce himself to the young new member of staff after he set his breakfast to rights, was surprised to look up to find the Defense teacher's spot empty. A napkin fluttered towards the floor as though disturbed by a sudden movement.

Scratching his head shortly, the Charms Professor shrugged and set about cutting his eggs, watching as the most recent addition to the student body took his seat at the Slytherin table. He looked like he could use a good Cheering charm, but in Flitwick's knowledge, teenagers could be a very stubbornly moody bunch.

--..--..--..--..--..--

As students slowly filed into the Great Hall to grab a filling breakfast, the heads of each house began to hand out timetables to their students.

Sasuke groused over his toast at the fact that he hadn't chosen any classes to attend. He didn't know if he was going to be in classes with Draco, or with Harry, or just thrown into whatever class had space left over. It irked him to no end that he wasn't in control of what he was getting into.

It didn't help his already dangerously dour mood that Draco was eyeing him with a smirk on his face, waiting for Sasuke to throw some sort of apocalyptic fit, or at least acknowledge that he had gotten the upper hand over the new student.

"Uchiha, your timetable," a snide voice sounded from above, and Sasuke looked up, regarding Snape minimally as several pieces of paper were shoved under his nose. "And pass those down to your new housemates. You may find it useful to introduce yourself." Snape seemed on the verge of hissing, and Sasuke very nearly rolled his eyes in return.

Accepting the proffered timetables, Sasuke retorted, "An introduction is a mere exchanging of names, Professor. I'm not so daft as to not know how to tell a person my own name, but thank you for thinking of me." Tipping a light smirk to the man, who scowled and turned away to give a biting reprimand to a pair of giggling Ravenclaw girls, Sasuke looked down to the timetables. He took a bite of toast and hummed to himself, anger ebbing away to be replaced by a vague, malicious type of humor Sasuke had always had. He loved it when it wasn't his own karma that was messing things up.

When Malfoy was eventually handed his timetable by Pansy Parkinson, he found that he was unable to unfold it to read its contents. There was a curious swipe of ink near the flap that he found suspicious, so he pointed his wand to it and muttered '_Alahomora'. _This was obviously some sort of locking spell that someone had cast to prank him, and Draco swore to make sure it never happened again, as soon as he figured out who had the nerve to trick him.

Pale eyes widening, Draco swore very nastily, and McGonagall promptly deducted ten points from the Slytherin house, as she had been standing nearby.

The ink had taken on the shape of a pair of dancing socks, and they did a mocking sort of foxtrot all the way around Draco's parchment. Draco was too preoccupied with cursing mentally to point out that the houses didn't have points to take away yet.

Sasuke slipped out of the Great Hall, heading to his very first History of Magic class, a small smirk on his face. It was so nice to have someone to annoy to his heart's content. He couldn't very well do that to Naruto right now, considering he was a teacher for the time being. The Uchiha wasn't just being a bother, but he was finding out if his little jutsu were compatible in this world.

Apparently, they were. He couldn't wait until Malfoy actually figured out how to _open _the timetable, though. One didn't know how much marmalade or how many exploding notes you could fit into a piece of paper until you tried.

A mighty splattering sound erupted from the Great Hall, and Sasuke turned the corner just as half of the Slytherin table broke out in surprised shouts and screams.

Thinking for a short moment, Sasuke decided to see if Naruto was in his classroom before classes started. He'd make sure the blonde was ready to start teaching - it wouldn't bode well if the first day didn't go smoothly- because what was a disguise if it didn't fool anyone?

Five minutes later, Sasuke was in the Defense Against the Dark Arts corridor, searching for Naruto's classroom. Before he could pinpoint which of the doors he needed, though, someone's quick footsteps encroached upon him, echoing hollowly in the empty hall.

Glancing over his shoulder, Sasuke turned fully to Snape, whose dark eyes were pinned to Sasuke's own. Apparently he wanted a word with the young shinobi.

Once the dark man stopped in front of the Uchiha, he glowered with all the proper air of a teacher who was dealing with an imprudent student.

"That was hardly the type of introduction you should wager to make, Uchiha." Snape whispered angrily, but his voice, had he not restrained his volume, would have been close to a shout. Sasuke remained unaffected by this automatic attempt at intimidation.

"It was only marmalade." Sasuke quipped, delicately hefting the shoulder strap of his book bag up. "Surely there is a magical way of cleaning up?"

"Yes, but that is not the _point._" Snape bit back sharply.

"Is it offensive for your students to smell like citrus, then? Please, I'd very much like to know your 'point', as you are holding me up from doing my job." Really, he did need to make sure Naruto was alright with everything.

Taking a deep breath, Snape stood up a little straighter, looming over the younger. "You will address me as 'sir' or 'Professor' while you are here, boy. And the point of the matter is that you are drawing far too much attention to yourself." Sasuke frowned, noticing that Snape's cloak was askew, pulled ever so slightly to the right. Snape, taking the small frown as a sign of acknowledgement, continued quietly, voice still sharp, "You were brought here to remain hidden and do your job, and I will not put up with your immature antics. Just because you want to cause trouble and breeze through this year, does not mean that you will not be punished. I agree with Minerva that you are far too young, among other things, to operate such a complex task- "

Sasuke's gaze snapped up from Snape's collar to his eyes, looking exceptionally livid. His temper seemed to flare like a physical being, and there was something deadly about the air all of a sudden. Hard to breathe, thick enough to choke on. Snape kept his face impassive, and tried to ignore the primal trepidation building deep in his gut.

"Excuse me? What are you inferring, exactly?" Sasuke blatantly left all respectful interjections out of his speech. "Who are you to judge something, when you do not know what is fully going on? I am not a _child, _nor am I unintelligent." It was obvious that he also spoke on Naruto's behalf as well, but it was more essential to keep Naruto's identity secret. He could not sense anyone else who could overhear them, but the Uchiha didn't take silly chances.

"As much as you wish to believe that you are not, I assure you that you are still very much juvenile," Snape pressed insistently, "and you would do well to remember that you are here as an _aid, _and not to run things as you see fit."

"Realize, then, that I have been raised to fight and to deceive." Sasuke was sick of being told he could not do something simply because he was never allowed to try. He lowered his voice and continued, "I can accept that I am here only to look after certain aspects of the situation, but do not scoff at our worth. Would you send us away, or even pit yourself against us? If we are not on your side, we are potentially against you."

"You admit that you would turn to the Dark Lord?" Eyes widening in furious astonishment, Snape twisted his face into a sneer. "You would help him to destroy this world?"

Sasuke snorted, and that near tangible force seemed to hang heavily about the teenager. Somehow, he seemed taller and more imposing than he had on that first day he had come to the castle. The Uchiha heir could tell that Snape loathed him; he could tell that Snape did not know for exactly what reason, though. More often than not, Sasuke had a negative effect on building cheerful relationships with people. That didn't mean that he was going to let bygones be bygones, though.

"If his offer happened to arouse my interest, then yes. If he wanted to try and order me around, though, he would soon find himself in a particularly unfavorable situation. I don't favor cowards." Turning on his heel and walking briskly down the still empty corridor, footsteps oddly not creating any sort of echo, Sasuke narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Things would be so much easier if people just let him do his job. Once he had taken about ten paces, he heard Snape retreat the way he had come earlier.

Deciding that he would never be able to help Naruto in the next five minutes and still be on time for class, Sasuke eventually navigated his way to the History of Magic room, and was grimly satisfied to discover that both Harry and Draco shared this class with him. This would either prove extremely beneficial, or entirely catastrophic. Interesting whichever way you looked at it, really.

Taking his seat among soft whispers and moderate levels of chitchat, Sasuke slouched a little in his seat and waited for class to proceed. Two rows over, Harry, Ron, and Hermione milled about one desk, seemingly in the middle of a casual conversation. Sasuke didn't bother to eavesdrop.

A few minutes later, Sasuke watched a pearly, translucent figure float through the blackboard and settle noiselessly in the teacher's desk. Immediately reminded of one of the old, weatherworn instructors from his Academy days, Sasuke pulled a stack of parchment and a quill from his book bag. Already, he could tell that this was going to be the type of class with little to no instruction, but a lot of note taking.

The other students took their seats, the scuffling of chair legs against the stone floor dying away after a few seconds. Sasuke's ears pricked at the muted sound of snickering, and he looked round to see a few of his own housemates rolling their eyes at him. For a fleeting moment, his anger piqued slightly, curious as to what had merited the insult, and he calmly, but quickly scanned the room.

The greater majority of the room looked as if they were actually preparing to fall asleep; the minority that seemed to be ready for class was whittled down to two- himself, and Hermione.

Sasuke's forehead almost became close friends with the desktop, but he restrained himself and raised his hand in silence, eyebrow twitching once as the action produced more muffled laughter from behind him.

"Now, in the thirteenth century, there was a mass outbreak of rioting among the civilians due to Glenwold the Gruesome's idea of governing…" Professor Binns droned on, slurring one sentence to the next so it was difficult to pick out punctuation.

"Professor," Sasuke raised his voice slightly, the ghost stopped speaking, and peered absently around the room.

"Ah… Yes, young man?" He asked, somewhat bewilderedly.

"This material," the Uchiha continued on, over the gleeful noises behind him (he mentally pictured himself punching them clear across the room), "it is all in the text, correct?"

"Well… I do find the books to be rather… outdated," the Professor stated airily, before returning to his philippic on whatever horrible things that Glenwold had done in an utterly toneless voice.

Sasuke didn't bother checking the copyright date on his textbook- he thought that perhaps asking a dead history teacher's opinion on recent matters seemed a bit trivial, in hindsight.

Hermione leaned over slightly, probably out of mild pity, and whispered to Sasuke, "It _is_ all in the text, you know. But I find you're better off taking notes, instead of muddling around in all of the chapters that aren't even going to be on the exam." She sat properly in her desk again, and resumed scribbling her notes furiously.

Well, that was really all he needed to know. Sasuke didn't see the sense in worrying about schoolwork too much, as it wasn't his problem if he passed or not, but as it would help him blend in, he didn't pass it off as such a troublesome matter. Tucking his textbook, parchment, and quill back into his book bag, Sasuke ignored Hermione's hushed reprimand of 'I didn't mean that you should just not write notes!', but rather felt a sense of accomplishment as he received a small smile from Harry, and even a grudgingly approving nod from Ron. Now that Sasuke didn't come off as some brainy overachiever, it seemed a little bit harder to hate him.

Hermione had already taken the place as Hogwarts' resident overachiever, anyway.

As Sasuke crossed his arms and stared forward, eyes wide open and very much awake, he muted out the persistent mumbling of Professor Binns, forcing his mind to interpret it as white noise. He had time to catch up on this subject later, when he wasn't amidst so many people. Using the Sharingan here would be very brassy and dangerous, if he were seen. He wouldn't use it in such an attendance unless he absolutely had to.

But how, oh _how _was he going to pull off getting close to both Harry _and _Draco? The question had been eating away at him for the last week or so, since he had been able to see both of their personalities for himself. There was definitely going to be no way to protect Harry if he thought Sasuke was not safe and trustworthy, but at the same time, Draco would not willingly reveal his thoughts or other important information if Sasuke became friends with Harry. Similarly, Harry would be extremely put off if Sasuke started hanging around Draco too often. (This didn't bother Sasuke much, as it seemed the only way to become associated with Malfoy was to suck up to him- very much not his style.) But Sasuke had to be friends with Harry to _protect _Harry, so it seemed that it would only be one or the other. Protect Harry, _or _find out important points of how their enemies _may_ be moving from Draco.

Another vital occurrence flittered into Sasuke's mind, at that moment: The marmalade.

Sasuke smirked uncontrollably at the thought, and turned his head to his left, directing his gaze to the back of the room. Draco had either sensed the shinobi's stare, or had been, himself, glaring holes into the back of Sasuke's head until that very moment. Sasuke was betting on the latter. Sadly, Draco seemed to be marmalade free, though he was still obviously affronted.

No, scratch that. Malfoy was downright _pissed._

Turning back in his seat, Sasuke settled down, tremendously pleased with himself. There was only one way to go about doing this mission, then. He was not going to settle for just completing half of this, and since he had pretty much all but spat into the wind with the Malfoy half of it…

Nevertheless, he was glad that it was settled. If it wasn't for Crabbe and Goyle's snoring, now, he'd be able to sleep peacefully at night.

Filled with the contentment that came from having memorized Draco's timetable, Sasuke planned on building up as much resentment as he could within the blonde boy. He shared most of his classes with Malfoy, after all. With the time he had here at Hogwarts, he was going to leave an impression. It went against his shinobi upbringing, but such was Sasuke's nature.

And God help the person who thought Sasuke would have some decency and pretend to be someone he was not.

--..--..--..--..--..--

The end-of-class bell sounded, and just as it diminished, a mighty uproar buzzed through the corridors as the students made their ways rowdily to their next classes.

Naruto had waved and smiled to his second years as he had dismissed them, but once the last kid's robe whipped out of sight, he gave into his shaking knees and flopped down into his chair. Dazedly, he wiped a hand across his brow and sighed, bright blue eyes blinking hard before he broke out in a sudden grin.

_They'd bought it. _

He felt something intense and happy build up in his chest, and he felt like laughing in the very face of his most feared adversity. Naruto had always had trouble _learning, _for the love of god, but his first class of teaching had gone incredibly well, in his opinion.

He'd told them his lecture outright, wrote a few notes on the board, and while one of them had complained loudly that his writing was lopsided, and that he should have used his wand like all the other teachers, the vast majority had seemed to accept him readily. He hadn't even needed to check his notes that Sasuke had made, and that strange burst of misplaced confidence hadn't misled him.

So powerful was his giddiness at this accomplishment, that the mental projection of Sasuke that always seemed to hang around to offer sarcastic snipes, and his comment of "Congratulations, you managed to con a herd of _twelve year olds,_" went entirely unnoticed.

Naruto wasn't even really worried about teaching Sasuke after lunch anymore. The Uchiha had had a lot of time to cool down, and would, in the worst case, be a little more irate than he usually was.

Well, unless he was having a bad day. In which case, people were potentially liable to getting their faces ripped off. But who could have a bad day in this castle, really?

Confident that he would do well for his next class, Naruto didn't even bother to look for Sasuke's notes. Sure, he would have to use them later to go over tomorrow's class, but all was well in his mind right now.

As the first group of fourth years filed into the class, eyeing their newest teacher carefully, some with interest and some with hopeful apprehension, Professor Uzumaki smiled to them and laughed mentally, leapt up from his seat, and bounced over to his blackboard. Scribbling the words 'Textbooks away, please', he turned and found his charges grinning to themselves.

Clasping his hands behind his back, and rocking on the balls of his feet, Naruto chirped, "Hello, class. I'm Professor Uzumaki, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

--..--..--..--..--..--

On the other side of the school, in one of the tall, spindly towers of Hogwarts castle, Professor Trelawny shuddered despite the perfumed heat of her classroom, and this prompted an awed, worried question from Lavender.

"Professor, what is it? Are you alright?"

Shaking her garlanded head quickly, Professor replied back mystically, "Oh, nothing dears. I think the sun must have just been blotted out by a stray cloud for a moment…"

"Oh, Parvati!" Lavender squealed to her counterpart, "That must mean that a stranger is causing change! Right, Professor?"

"Ah, right. I mean, certainly, my dears. You certainly have a chance of being of the select few with a developed inner eye, Lavender." Trelawny then wisped away to her winged armchair to read her own tealeaves, picked up the teacup, and thought better of it.

Chamomile on Mondays had always led her to disaster, after all. But still, odd weather, that. She peered out of the small window across the room, draping her shawls tightly around herself.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

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TBC

D; I know it's late and I am SORRY. This is not beta-ed yet. And, yes, I know Trelawny shares Divination classes with the talking pony. XD (AND YOU ALL ROCK FOR BEING PATIENT, SO I MADE IT SHORT SO I HAD SOMETHING TO POST. XD)


	8. School is Only a Trifle! Ripples Start!

**Neon:** HEY LOOK, AN UPDATE! ;O; Don't maul me, please. I try.

Thanks for waiting so long, guys!! LMAO YOU GUYS ARE ALL LIKE "DID YOU DIE? I MISS YOU." And then I feel sad and unworthy. Especially when some people have gone and printed out this monster. I adore you guys. :3

So this chapter was started out of guilt. I thought you all should know that. B(

Usual disclaimer!

ALSO: Flamers, just don't bother. You're ruining my mood for writing.

Blind People: THERE ARE NO PAIRINGS. THERE WILL BE NO PAIRINGS. READ THE STORY INSTEAD OF ASKING "LOL WHAT YEAR R SASUKE AND HARRY IN??1". THANK YOU FOR YOUR COOPERATION.

Everyone else: I love you guys. Your reviews make my day-- um, months. XD You all make me feel like a SUPER HERO WRITER. 8D

BY THE WAY: **IF I EVER DISCONTINUE THIS STORY, I WILL MAKE IT VERY OBVIOUS AND TELL YOU GUYS, "THIS STORY IS DISCONTINUED."** Otherwise, just chalk it up to me losing at writing. XD

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Dai 8 Wa - School is Only a Trifle! Ripples Shake the Water!

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He hated it when his instincts were out of his control; he really did. Sasuke had caught himself nodding off in History of Magic, even though he had put all of his will into staying focused. He was positive that the class was so draining simply because it was taught by a toneless dead person.

Never mind that he'd only had a half hour's sleep; it was definitely Professor Binns' fault. Even though Sasuke was a trained killer and was probably better equipped to handle uncomfortable situations like staying awake against one's will, he comforted himself in the fact that everyone else had not fared any better in the battle to retain consciousness. True, it seemed that nothing short of a full-blown riot would deter the ghost Professor from his lesson, but it was a student's responsibility to get enough sleep, so everyone had merely taken advantage of the situation.

Except for Hermione. Sasuke figured that she had cheated and taped her eyelids up or something. No human could naturally withstand such boredom, and Sasuke already had a high tolerance for all things idiotic and mundane.

He'd been part of Team 7 for years; it was to be expected.

In any case, he had decided to take his peers' safety into consideration and had disarmed himself of the senbon and shuriken he'd hidden in his robes, strapped to his arms, stuffed into his book bag…

Sasuke paused momentarily before he headed out of his dormitory, trying to ignore how light he felt without an entire armory weighing him down. The break would be over soon, but he could have sworn he'd forgotten something. If he did actually fall asleep in class, he would probably end up killing a few people if anyone tried to wake him up. Frowning, Sasuke did a mental once over of his inventory.

"Oh, right," Sasuke murmured to the empty room. Threading his fingers into his dark hair, Sasuke extracted a length of thin wire and locked it safely in his trunk with the rest of his arsenal.

Making a miserable sort of sound that was dangerously akin to a whine, Sasuke reminded himself that even though he felt mostly naked and very unprotected, it was for the greater good. Killing students was the exact opposite of what he was supposed to be doing, and all of the other students made it through their day to day lives without toting around weapons, right?

Well, they actually knew how to _use_ their wands, Sasuke groused as he descended the staircase from the Slytherin boys' dormitory. For all the use it was to Sasuke, he thought he would be better off just sharpening the end to a point so he could jab at people's stomachs.

Or their eyes, solar plexuses, jugulars, major arteries… That sort of stuff. The appendix made the _strangest_ sound when it was punctured, and--

Sasuke promptly derailed his train of thought and gathered his things, half-rushing through the dungeons and to his next class. He was already late, he knew that much, because the corridors were empty save for the occasional ghost. If he'd really wanted to hurry, he could have been in his seat within a few seconds, but he didn't exactly see the big problem. It was 'unnatural' for him to be able to move so quickly, and he didn't want to risk being seen.

He was only late for potions, after all.

No biggie, right?

--..--..--..--..--..--

"Where do you think he is?"

"Hermione, who really _cares?_"

Harry kicked both of his friends from under the table to shut them up, as Snape's dark gaze had flickered over to them, drawn by their hushed whispers. When he turned away and went back to hovering over Dean's shoulder, watching him set up his cauldron as though expecting him to slip up, Harry breathed a sigh of relief. They had put off getting berated by Snape for a few minutes longer, but Harry saw no reason to be particularly careful around the Professor. He was going to find a reason to snipe at them sooner or later, anyway.

"Who're you talking about?" Harry leaned in, poking the flame canister underneath his cauldron with his wand, igniting it. They were supposed to be making some sort of paralysis draught, but Hermione was already cutting up their daisy roots, so Harry didn't worry about it.

"Sasuke," Hermione answered, passing Harry and Ron their portions of the chopped plant. "He seemed very intent on getting his passing grades, what with his coming back to school after an expulsion. I just thought he'd be in Potions, that's all."

Ron, who seemed a little less cross when the new student was brought up due to being given the pleasure of seeing Malfoy with a face full of marmalade, dropped his daisy roots into his cauldron and gave the mixture a few haphazard clockwise stirs. Though there was no real proof of Sasuke's involvement, most of the school already knew that it was his fault. While squinting at the instructions scrawled across the blackboard, he muttered, "Maybe he doesn't need Potions for whatever he wants to do after school. He'd make a wonderful interior decorator; I think Peeves is still smearing the leftovers from the explosion all over the Great Hall's ceiling."

Harry tried to imagine the enchanted ceiling streaked with marmalade, but he kept coming up with a vivid image of a very enraged Draco covered in marmalade instead. Although Harry guessed that Malfoy could be rather intimidating (or at least very irritating) in the right situation, the memory was just at the top of the charts, right beside the fondly entitled recollection of the 'Ferret Incident'.

"That was horrible, though," Hermione made a disapproving clicking sound with her tongue, "I'm actually not all that surprised that he was expelled from his old school."

Ron and Harry rolled their eyes as one.

"The git deserved it, Hermione," Ron countered, dropping a rough handful of dried earwigs into his cauldron. "I mean, I don't know why we hadn't thought of hexing Malfoy like that a long time ago."

Hermione was about to look up from counting out the exact four earwigs that the recipe called for so she could retort, but her head turned at the sound of the classroom door creaking open.

There was no knock, which was strange. Most Professors usually did each other the common courtesy of at least knocking before they entered while a class was in session. Well, Snape didn't often do that, but he was the one being invaded upon.

When Sasuke stepped into the room and, without showing much fear over the fact that he was over half an hour late for _Potions_ class of all things, closed the door behind him with a loud thudding sound. Most of the class collectively winced. The Slytherin portion of the students, though, snickered in delight. Though this new student was of their kin, no one held very warm feelings towards him.

Snape, looking murderous, strode up to the boy and loomed over him rather ominously as he turned around. Blinking once, slowly, Sasuke stared up at the teacher with an expression that made Harry think that he was going to ask Snape to move out of his way.

They remained motionless for a long couple of moments, Snape glaring daggers and probably imagining what methods of cruelty he could get away with under Dumbledore's nose. Sasuke gradually raised his eyebrows as he waited for Snape to step aside, adopting the air of one who had just been bumped into on the street, and who was waiting for the other person's motor functions to kick in so they could both get on with their lives.

Snape wasn't moving.

The class was watching with bated breath. Dean was staring so intently that several bumblebee stingers slipped from his hand and into his cauldron. The cauldron spluttered indignantly, but no one noticed.

Sasuke wondered just what the hell Snape's damage was.

Finally, Snape decided to break the tension and swoop in for the kill.

"And what, pray tell, do you think you are doing?" His voice was restrained, and Harry recognized the tone, having been on the receiving end of many of Snape's subtle death threats.

Everyone's eyes flickered over to Sasuke as they waited for the new student's reply. Anyone who had the nerve to be late to Snape's class, even on their first day, had to be able to offer some quantity of amusement.

"… I _think_ that I'm waiting for you to stop leaning over me so I can actually get into the room," Sasuke frowned lightly, like this much was obvious.

A vein throbbed very slightly at Snape's temple, and the man hissed dangerously, "You are forty minutes late."

"Congratulations, you can tell the time," Sasuke quipped, evoking startled gasps from most of the girls, "Would you like me to go down to the kitchens and retrieve you a prize? A star shaped cookie? I'm sure I can get someone down there to put gold icing on it."

Snape was not impressed.

Dean's cauldron exploded in a desperate plea for attention.

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...Almost a full hour later, Ron decided that Sasuke, despite his being Asian, and contrary to his own preconceived notions about people, had a lot of--

"--Guts. Seriously, I thought Snape was going to hex his face clean _off._"

"You seem to be acting warmly towards him as of late," Hermione said with a sniff. She had personally disapproved of the boy's antics thus far. "He's a troublemaker."

"He _is_ pretty lucky that he only just got detention for a week," Harry cut in. Sasuke had also been sent to see Dumbledore, but the Headmaster was likely to just give him a proverbial slap on the wrists, at most.

Ron sent a sideways glance to Hermione as they walked towards the Great Hall for lunch. "I thought that you _liked_ him. You seemed to be all chummy with him when we were in the Leaky Cauldron. And besides," the redhead and Harry shared a significant nod, "you cannot disrespect a man that offers his life up on a platter like that."

"Brave," Harry grinned.

"Insolent and immature," Hermione snorted, taking a few steps ahead of the boys to lead the way into the Great Hall.

Filch was cursing as he waved a mop at Peeves, who, as Ron had said, had taken advantage of the earlier mess and was currently smearing marmalade into crude swearwords over the walls.

"Chips, Harry?" Ron asked as they sat down.

"Please," Harry smiled as he accepted the plate of food, and served himself. He then passed them to Hermione, who tried to remain stubborn by refusing, but Harry kept them held out until she relented. A hint of a smile pulled at her lips, and Ron smirked knowingly.

"I knew you weren't really mad about it. Impossible to be anything but impressed with being able to talk to Snape like that," He stated matter-of-factly.

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"I am _far_ from impressed with your behavior," Snape growled, pacing Dumbledore's office slightly, unable to stand still with the irritated, bubbling anger slowly welling up within him. His hand twitched towards his wand on impulse, wanting nothing more than to wipe that blankly self-satisfied look off the boy's face.

Sasuke's eyes flickered to Snape's hand, also on impulse, and he pulled an expression that said 'you will end up with sharp metal things sticking out of your skull if you try that', even though he had nothing more than his own useless Stick in his own pocket. He still hadn't gotten around to sharpening the Stick into anything remotely threatening. Goddamn.

Dumbledore was not present as of yet, but the other kid-- the blond one-- was, and he seemed torn in between shock and laughter.

"I can't believe you stuck exploding notes and marmalade into that guy's timetable," Naruto snorted quietly, trying not to laugh. Snape looked ready to snap someone's neck. He was secretly proud of his teammate, and also sort of frightened for his own safety. After accidentally walking into the office to find a scarily pissed off Potions Master and Sasuke sporting his 'I just leveled some villages and Tsunade is going to kill me but I could honestly care less' face, he'd thought about just slowly backing out of harm's way. Sasuke's little doodled death scenes were enough to make Naruto want to flee, but the raven-haired boy had 'invited' him to come in.

So Naruto tried to look like he wasn't watching Sasuke's hands warily, wanting to be sure that he could dive out of the way if Sasuke extracted a kunai, or a shuriken, or a mace, or a live python (which was, strangely enough, more likely than anything) to maim him with.

Snape was also observing Sasuke critically, but only because he was attempting to find a fitting curse, hex, or unfortunate potion side effect that would properly siphon his hate.

Sasuke simply stood in the middle of the room with his hands clasped behind his back, feeling very much like the center of attention. He didn't like it. It went against his ninja instincts, and he wondered why the hell Naruto used to act like such a moron to get people to stare at him.

Speaking of Naruto, he looked awfully fidgety, and Sasuke couldn't fathom why. His classes couldn't have gone too horribly, right? He glanced over to the other boy, one eyebrow quirked.

"Malfoy cursed my socks."

Now, most people would tell Sasuke to suck it up and ask what the hell was wrong with him, but Naruto knew him better than that. He'd learned about Sasuke's… rather particular way of keeping his possessions untouched firsthand. Not that he did much to consent to Sasuke's whims-- it was too funny to see Sasuke's reaction when he managed to get away with stealing all of the Uchiha's underwear and throwing them all over Konoha, after all.

Naruto slowly regarded Sasuke, and allowed himself to relax marginally. Sasuke didn't seem too pissed. Naruto knew what Sasuke looked like when he was pissed at him, and this was not it. He breathed again, his body sensing that he was in no immediate danger of being castrated, or beheaded, or… disfigured in any way.

"Ah," Naruto murmured in understanding. "Going barefoot, then?"

"Stole his," Sasuke replied in clipped tones.

"What does it _matter_ that Malfoy cursed your socks?!" Snape interjected irritably. "It was totally irresponsible, and you are going to be at the end of your rope before this first day is up, Uchiha!"

Snape received two baffled looks. The man obviously did not understand the finer points of how the universe operated.

Before either of the two shinobi could take the time to explain some of the vital ways of life to the increasingly angry teacher, Professor Dumbledore swept into the room, a serene expression upon his features. Naruto glanced over to the elderly man and immediately felt at ease. That look on his careworn face just radiated surety, strength, a calm, never ceasing wisdom…

Sasuke quirked his head curiously and could tell that the Headmaster was trying to dislodge a sticky candy from the roof of his mouth.

Professor Snape took it upon himself to explain to Dumbledore that Sasuke was a no-good impish heathen with no sense of propriety whatsoever, except in not so many words. Without so much as twitching a muscle, the Headmaster turned towards Sasuke, who stared calmly back.

"And what may have merited such actions, Sasuke?" Dumbledore asked fairly.

Glancing to Naruto momentarily before meeting the Headmaster's gaze, he replied levelly, "To be honest with you, I don't usually prank people. But what I _usually_ do is throw people through walls and other such solid objects, and I think that would have been… how shall I put this…" Looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully, he continued, "… most conspicuous. And I hadn't used magic, but a form of our own… skills; a jutsu. So it was a little useful in learning that they work compatibly with your brand of magic. Malfoy used a spell on the parchment to activate it, and the desired effect carried out admirably." A small smirk pulled at the boy's lips, and he tried to make it seem like he wasn't pleased with himself.

Naruto had seen Sasuke attempt this once before, when he'd 'accidentally' knocked over Tsunade's saké, and he still really couldn't do it.

"And you've already given him detention, Severus?"

"Naturally," Snape said coldly, not moving his lips much.

"Then he will attend detention, just like any other student would. If I were to expel him for such a trifle of a prank, that would be a little bit suspicious, I think," Dumbledore nodded, and Naruto could have sworn he was smiling slightly. "We have, after all, survived the Weasley twins."

Snape frowned and argued softly, "Headmaster, he is not taking this as seriously as I think he should be--"

"We've had this conversation already, _Severus,_" Sasuke bit out frigidly, and Naruto stared at his friend in mild surprise. Snape must have really peeved Sasuke off already. He made a mental note to make sure he didn't go stalking down to the Professor's office when he shouldn't, just as a precaution. Sasuke had developed certain habits around people that irked him, and Naruto was sure none of them would bode well. As long as the other boy's temper was kept in check, everything would be fine.

Sasuke and Snape stared at each other darkly for a handful of long moments, before Dumbledore clapped his hands together once and dismissed Naruto and Sasuke. "If you please, boys. You can both still eat a quick lunch if you hurry." The Headmaster took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Snape to stay. The two shinobi nodded, Naruto glancing once between Sasuke and the Potions Master before taking his leave, his partner on his heels.

"Now, Severus. You've heard that a few of my letters to the Order have been misplaced, am I right…?"

Once outside of the office, the pair walked down to the Great Hall before Sasuke sat down at a desolate spot at the Slytherin table, and Naruto continued on his way up to the staff table. Naruto didn't bother making conversation with Sasuke, since he didn't seem to be in a mood for human interaction at the moment. This suited Naruto just fine, though, because he wasn't quite sure if Sasuke was still mad about the notes, or if he was just pretending not to be and luring him into a false sense of security.

After a quick meal of some sort of pasta salad and roast chicken, Naruto nodded to Sasuke on his way out of the Great Hall, smiling at him. Even if he was mad and murderous, it never hurt to be cheerful.

Hurrying down to his classroom, intending to squeeze in a few minutes of review for what he was going to do in the next few classes, Naruto filed through bits of what he already remembered in his head. The sixth years were doing… jinxes and hexes? Or was that the first years in the period after, when they were just doing some simple theory about jinxes and hexes?

Shaking his head, Naruto weaved his way through the corridors until he came to the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. His door. He absently unlocked _his_ door by channeling a little bit of chakra through it, and wondered why something struck him as odd about this moment. It was a fleeting, strange feeling, and he tried to put his finger on it, running a thought through his head again to try and pinpoint the feeling.

'_My_ door', he thought.

Blinking, he realized that the weird wood grain man with the insulting grin had vanished. For some reason, he couldn't help but to feel the smallest stirrings of unease in his gut, but he ignored it easily enough. This castle took some getting used to, and bizarre things happened all of the time here anyway…

Stepping into his office and walking over to his desk, Naruto opened the drawer in search of his precious lesson plans. Frowning when he was met with assorted knickknacks that included everything _but_ those notes, he closed the drawer and opened it again, more slowly this time. Something in the back of his head was sort of hoping that it would, without irony, magically appear.

He repeated this process at least four more times before he let out a strangled, panicked sound, and yanked open the other drawers of the desk, papers flying everywhere as he ducked down onto his hands and knees to look under the desk.

Textbooks, quills and ink surrounded him as he came up empty, but there were no notes. Swearing softly, pulling a hand down his face, he stood up and began pacing the classroom. There was no way he'd be able to pretend that he knew enough about the magical world to teach sixth year students… And he wouldn't have near enough time to look something up in a textbook to fill the lesson… Plus, he didn't even know what had happened to his plans, as this castle was so massive, he wouldn't know where to begin looking.

There was only one thing to do: Find Sasuke and hope that he'd used his Sharingan while he'd written the notes so he could either write another copy or repeat them to Naruto from his head so he could get through the last few classes. This was of course, assuming that Naruto was still alive after he told Sasuke that he'd lost them. If his partner wasn't angry about writing them in the first place, he sure would be now.

"Damn it," Naruto moaned hopelessly, "Sasuke is going to murder me…"

"And why would I do that, exactly?"

Naruto whipped his head around to see the Uchiha heir walk into the room nonchalantly and quirk one dark eyebrow at blond. The room looked a mess, rather like a tornado had recently ripped through it. Naruto's stomach flipped over as though warning him to bolt, but he remained rooted to the spot.

"Um…" Naruto stalled, "… Because this classroom is such a mess?" The excuse sounded weak even to his own ears, so he added on hastily, "And a proper teacher doesn't have a messy classroom, right? I've just got to clean this up quickly before class starts--"

Sasuke held up a hand to stop Naruto's ranting, which dissolved into a quiet, nervous laugh. The dark haired boy reached into his robes and dropped a large, handmade book of parchment down onto the desk, already folded open to the page entitled 'Sixth Years, Day One'. Crossing his arms over his chest and watching Naruto, he said levelly, "Lock your door when you leave."

Staring at his partner with a sort of muted, confused shock, Naruto snapped his jaw shut and murmured defensively, "I _did."_

Sighing tiredly, Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Lock it when Poltergeists aren't spying you by hiding inside of the door, would you?" Before Naruto could ask how he knew that, the Uchiha continued, "Peeves, the Poltergeist here, had these," he motioned to the plans, "and I noticed him with them in the corridor."

"And you're not mad?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

"I wrote those things weeks ago, Naruto," Sasuke explained unhelpfully.

Naruto dared to walk closer and pick up the notes, scanning them for a moment before glancing back up to Sasuke. "So? You could still be mad."

"You want me to explain?"

"Well, yeah."

Without warning, Sasuke punched him in the throat.

Dropping the notes, as well as choking and coughing as he wrapped a hand around his throat, Naruto took a few long moments to get his breath back before he yelled hoarsely, "What the hell was _that for?!_"

Sasuke was still watching him as though they were having a pleasant conversation about the weather. "Did that hurt?"

"Of course it did, jackass!" Naruto rubbed at his throat tenderly and scowled at Sasuke angrily.

"And you're mad at me now," the Uchiha stated matter-of-factly. "Tomorrow," he pointed at Naruto, "that won't hurt and you won't be cross with me."

Great life lessons with Uchiha Sasuke. That's what Naruto had just had to endure. He was about to throw something at the boy as he all but floated out of the room with a smirk on his face, but he just set about tidying up a few papers. Sitting down in his chair and grumpily touching his throat, though it had already started to hurt less, he rolled his eyes to the ceiling.

He was ready to bet all of the money in his possession that Sasuke had just wanted a good excuse to get back at him and cause him bodily harm.

"Oh well," Naruto snorted, "at least I'm not dead."

He made a mental note to make sure he was still going to be angry with Sasuke tomorrow, even if he had to force it.

--..--..--..--..--..--

Peeves wasn't seen until about ten days later, when he burst out a broom cupboard on the fifth floor, scaring the wits out of a group of young Hufflepuff girls. It was of the popular opinion that the Poltergeist had been stuffed into the cupboard by the Bloody Baron after he had booby trapped Draco Malfoy's timetable on the first day, resulting in half of the Slytherin students being sprayed in marmalade. The truth was swept aside as mere early post-crisis rumor, because who could believe that the handsome new student would prank his own housemate?

Quite unbelievable, really. And besides, Peeves had taken up a habit of staying out of the dungeons for a while. The Bloody Baron was probably still quite displeased with the troublesome spirit, and everybody knew that the Slytherin ghost was the only one that Peeves would obey.

No one even suspected that Sasuke was the reason that Peeves was a little less cruel to the Slytherins, because aside from his small outbursts with Professor Snape, (that every one of the bolder students had on occasion), he was harmless.

Sasuke merely chalked this up to his good acting skills. Snape said it was dumb luck and witless students. Naruto was just glad that teaching was becoming more and more easy for him as time went on. Though he'd never been able to get Sasuke to tell him how he'd gotten the notes back, Naruto had a sneaking suspicion that a few prohibited jutsu had been used.

The arrival of a new student and Defense teacher (who everyone had been expecting to be new, anyway), hardly caused a ripple in how Hogwarts went along its day to day business.

Outside of the castle however, beyond homework and classes and rivalries, beyond the careful eyes and ears of Sasuke and Naruto, and even of Dumbledore himself, a torrent was rising.

Upon the kitchen floor of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, Headquarters of the few wizards and witches that had banded together to fight against Voldemort once more, an electric blue eye spun ceaselessly, rolling across the linoleum.

Former Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix, Alastor Moody, lay motionless upon the floor in a crumpled heap of robes and clawed, wooden leg, wand in hand and a trickle of blood running down from his forehead.

A cloaked figure with its dark hood drawn hovered over the scarred man, before lowering its wand and hurrying out of the building that was, until now, considered a safe house.

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TBC


	9. Not Just Students! Danger Ahead!

**Neon:** ………HI GUYS! REMEMBER ME? School ate me. Being in senior year has made me a lazy person. ….. Lazier. But I've been getting story alerts, and so many reviews for this story in my inbox DAILY that I just go "ggggghhhh oh right that thing hahaha maybe I should… um… write… more". I've actually had half of this just sitting around for months! So it's not like I forgot! …. I'm awful, I'm sorry. XD I'm also working like… A MILLION HOURS A WEEK. I apologize. 8D;

And thanks to those of you who reviewed. :D I just want to write my brains out when I get such nice reviews. Also: Anyone catch the fact that Sasuke is really bad at naming things? His little group is called "Hebi" in the manga, and this was way after I thought he'd suck at naming a pet. XD ZOUNDS.

I've been reading Harry Potter OBSESSIVELY for the last few months, and I think I'm starting to get a feel for writing the passage of time more effectively, so it doesn't take forty chapters to get to Halloween in this story. XD Pay careful attention to this and tell me how I do! (And oh my god book seven. I've never cried so much over a made up story in my entire life. AHHH. BUT THAT EPILOUGE SHOULD DIE. That is all.)

Disclaimer: Sup, dogs. Word.

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Dai 9 Wa - We're not just students! Danger ahead!

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Classes at Hogwarts progressed as normal as the month of September whittled away to a mere fortnight. Students that had been eager to get back to school had already begun to dread the prospect of homework, and even the presence of the new Slytherin student had eventually lost some of its novelty. The Defense teacher seemed to be a little forgetful about what he was teaching in his classes at times, but he would recover quickly, and was very likable. Harry saw nothing to complain about in the man; he actually reminded him a little bit of Lupin. Plus, he'd definitely been worse off when it came to teachers.

It was a tossup between Lockhart, Umbridge… well, every Defense teacher except for Lupin, actually.

Other than the first day of classes when Sasuke had back talked to Snape, the most exciting thing to have happened up to this point was Colin Creevy taking a photograph of the lake. Which, in itself, was not very exciting at all, unless you counted the fact that Goyle had been caught off guard by the flash, and had fallen backwards into the lake.

Harry seemed to have nearly every class with Sasuke, if memory served correctly. This didn't bother him much; on the contrary, the new student had such a total disregard for his schoolwork that he often didn't even try to mix the right potion for Snape, or do the right wand movements in Charms and Transfiguration. It was sort of funny to see how much he could get away with.

"You reckon we're still doing Muggle legends and interpreting them to fact?" Ron muttered in a bored tone, his eyes wandering the ceiling as he leaned against the wall.

Hermione rolled her eyes and shook her head, exasperated with Ron's inattentiveness, and answered, "He told us that we were moving on to animal familiars last class."

The three of them were milling around the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, with just a few minutes of the lunch hour to go. They'd gotten a little tired of simply wandering the castle, and decided that they may as well get to class. The door had been locked when Harry had tried to open it, though, so they were waiting for Uzumaki to get back from his lunch.

"Well, how am I supposed to know that? The man doesn't even know what he's talking about half the time!" Ron argued back in his defense.

"Oh, come off it, you just finished saying that he was a good teacher last day!"

"Are you sure I didn't just say 'he's a good _guy_'? Maybe you should get your ears checked, Hermione."

The girl let out an aggravated growl, and Harry attempted an intervention before things got out of control. He didn't want to put up with them being cross with each other for days on end so early in the school year.

"Would you two stop bickering like an old married couple for more than ten minutes at a time?" Harry took a moment to do his own share of eye-rolling.

Both Ron and Hermione clapped their mouths shut and looked away from each other. The sliver of Hermione's face that Harry could see was flushing a steady pink shade, and Ron's ears were a vivid scarlet.

Harry's stomach made an uncomfortable sort of flopping motion, and he frowned in confusion as he looked between his two friends, wondering if he should say something.

Being so intent to smooth the matter over with as little awkwardness as possible, Harry missed altogether the slip of shiny blackness that slid underneath the Defense room's door.

An indigo coloured snake slithered silently into the room, found a particular desk, and coiled her body around one of the legs so she could climb up. She hissed rather loudly to get the attention of the boy sitting in the desk, although he knew she was there. Already engaged in a conversation with a blond man, Hebi's master held out an arm without looking up, allowing her to wrap around it. She did, and looped the upper part of her body around Sasuke's throat like a half-necklace, her tail still wrapped about his shoulder. The humans were speaking in a language that she couldn't understand, but Master was stroking a finger soothingly over her triangular head, telling her he'd be done in a moment. She could wait. The school was rather boring, and nothing out of the ordinary had gone on yet.

"Sasuke, I think you're being paranoid. Again."

The gentle petting stopped as Sasuke's hand tensed, and Hebi glanced over at the blond man. He'd upset her master somehow.

"I don't think you're taking into consideration that privacy can and _should_ be entirely compromised if lives are at stake. We're here to stop anything from happening to Potter."

"People have secrets, Sasuke, and not just because they're bad people! You can't go around interrogating every person you so much as suspect to be dangerous and then wipe their memories!"

"Well, all the better really, since they wouldn't remember me asking them personal questions."

Naruto sighed. "I think you're missing the point."

Irritated, the Uchiha snapped back at him, "It's not as though I'm blackmailing them! I don't give a shit about anyone here, you know, and I could honestly care less if I found out that so-and-so has a crush on what's-their-face. But if they know something incriminating, or read something in the newspapers that we can't get a hold of, then it could help to secure Potter's safety! A lot of the students have parents in the magical ministry!"

There was a long pause, and Naruto leaned against his desk, staring long and hard at his partner.

"You're getting pretty attached to this mission, aren't you?"

Sasuke glared at him, shocked and indignant at the accusation. "I'm completely impartial. And you're one to talk; you get attached to all of your students."

"I make friends with them, Sasuke. I'm nice to them. When we're done here, I can still say goodbye knowing that I made a few acquaintances. Being impersonal isn't going to cut them off from you, but you obsessing over something like this just brings them closer. You don't have to interact positively towards someone to get attached."

"I'm not obsessing, I'm doing my _job_. It's a hell of a lot more than what you're doing, at any rate." Slouching slightly in the desk, Sasuke physically bit back a scowl. All he heard in exchange of his provocation was a soft sigh.

"You know that I'm doing my job, Sasuke. Isn't it always a notable thing when a ninja doesn't look like he's actually doing his job? Look at Kakashi-sensei."

Sometimes, it really infuriated Sasuke when Naruto was more patient with handling him than he was with anything else. It wasn't as though he needed to be spoken to in that tone; he was no toddler.

Shaking his head lightly, Sasuke continued to absentmindedly stroke Hebi's head. "Whatever, it doesn't matter." He knew that he was being blatantly dismissive, but he had no wish to continue on this tangent of conversation. "You're doing your job, I'm not obsessed. Everyone's happy."

Another sigh, and a reluctant fib for the sake of a truce. Naruto was never surprised with how many false truces it took to prop up their friendship at this point. Tiny compromises equated to tolerance and sanity. "Everyone's happy."

Outside of the spoken realm, however, this was not the case. Both of them knew, but both also knew the boundaries and dangers of retreating on such a truce so early in its forging.

Torn between exasperation and a slight, uncomfortable annoyance, Naruto chewed at the inside of his lip. Was it so much for Sasuke to admit that he was making some sort of connection?

Well, apparently so.

Dissecting the silence, giving himself an excuse by checking his watch, Naruto looked up at Sasuke. "It's about time for class to start." Walking over to the door to unlock it, he heard Sasuke's snake hiss softly.

Automatically translating, Sasuke stood up. "Potter's outside. Give me a second to get out of here." Tucking the arm that Hebi was coiled around closer to his body, Sasuke lazily ruffled the back of his hair. "Don't want to be caught having alone time with the new teacher." Snorting, the Uchiha mock saluted Naruto and leapt from the open window.

"Sasuke, wait-!" Naruto took a half step towards the other teen before slumping his shoulders and rolling his eyes. He wasn't worried about Sasuke's well being by any means; he could handle himself. "What if someone outside sees you?" Trying not to look aggravated when he opened the door to Harry and his friends, Naruto hoped that Sasuke wasn't going to skip class after all of that.

Outside, Sasuke was walking along a narrow ledge that wound around the tower, as easily as walking along a garden path. Hebi was wound around his neck once more.

_"No strange things, Master. Been going for long ways. No rats, though."_ Hebi unhinged her jaw in a wide mouthed, silent yawn. _"Workers in kitchen too big to be rats."_

"_Attached,_" Sasuke hissed out in English. "Obsessed, I can at least understand, but… _attached!_" Jumping down to a row of squared turrets and stepping across them, picking out a torch holder to leap to next, he switched to speaking to Hebi. _"It's ridiculous."_

The snake, not knowing what exactly was ridiculous as Sasuke had been speaking to himself beforehand, let out a short, agreeable hiss. _"Do not want to eat them anyway. Stringy."_

_"Eat the caretaker's cat, then."_ Apparently, even when Sasuke wasn't listening, he couldn't help but to pay attention.

_"She'd sooner eat me, Master,"_ Hebi, had she eyebrows, would have quirked them as though Sasuke were dense. She was still a small snake, even though she'd grown about half a foot since he'd bought her.

Lightly stepping down from the empty torch bracket and onto an outdoor stone bridge, Sasuke sighed, _"I'll go into the forest tonight and get some birds. Now go, and stay out of the Owlery, for god sakes."_ Slipping through a heavy wooden door, he let Hebi slither off his arm and onto a nearby statue of what he thought was a troll.

_"Only if you stay away from the Centaurs, Master,"_ Hebi countered.

Sasuke hated ponies, especially talking ones. He'd voiced this opinion when he'd run into the herd last time he'd been catching birds, and the Ponies had officially waged war on the Uchiha. He'd forgotten about his unarmed state, and he still hadn't figured out how to make the Stick into anything remotely threatening. The Stick spat sparks whenever he tried to sharpen it, so he supposed that he'd better get around to learning a stupid spell or two. The prospect of running into a herd of angry, arrow wielding ponies to go find Hebi's birds seemed rather annoying, in Sasuke's mind.

Maybe he'd just set one on fire.

--..--..--..--..--..--

Surprisingly, Sasuke was still on time for Defense Against the Dark Arts, books in tow. Naruto, who was just finishing with tidying his desk, felt his slight annoyance with his partner diminish.

This feeling lasted for all of three seconds as he watched Sasuke plunk himself down into the very back corner seat, away from most everyone else in the class, apparently once and for all proving that he was in no way whatsoever 'attached' to anyone in the class.

Deadpanning, Naruto cleared his throat, "Good afternoon, everyone. I expect your essays on Muggle urban legends are all finished?"

There was a general mumbling of agreement from the class, and Naruto dug his wand from his pocket and gave it a wave. Sasuke wanted to know who he was trying to fool, but his own half-assed essay shot out from between the pages of his textbook, joining the other floating pieces of parchment in a march to Naruto's free hand. Hermione's essay dangled about a foot and a half lower than the rest of the stack.

Had there been a verbal argument going on, Sasuke would have found himself at a loss for words. When had that gormless idiot learned how to do magic? He was inept as it was when it came to learning new jutsu unless there was a picture book in front of his face!

Stunned, Sasuke slouched in his seat and crossed his arms irritably, feeling like his own stupid Stick was even more inadequate. Not that he'd tried terribly hard to learn any magic, but the fact still remained that Sasuke had managed nothing more than putting cigarette-esque burns into bits of parchment with that _Incendio_ spell. (Which was even more depressing, because the spell was meant to produce a roaring fire, and the element was even infused into his chakra.)

To be truthful, the only course that he was doing well in for the practical classes was Potions, and his motivation was merely to irk Snape. No wand work required, just recipes.

"Okay, great," said Naruto, placing the essays on his desk. "As I said last class, we're now moving on to… animal familiars. Something the matter, Uchiha?"

"Nope," Sasuke shrugged as a few heads turned towards him. He'd mockingly mouthed the words as Naruto spoke them; he knew what they'd be doing every single day, and he couldn't help showing his annoyance with Naruto in some way.

Continuing on, and holding back a half-amused snort, Naruto tried not to think about how much he was rubbing off onto Sasuke. "The next spell that we'll be learning today isn't exactly in the category of animal familiars, but as this subsection is more or less boring bookwork--" Sasuke snorted softly here, "--I thought I'd introduce you to the spell _Expecto Patronum_. Though I hear that a few of you are already rather acquainted with this already." He grinned good naturedly.

The class knew what was coming next before it actually happened, and Harry attempted to not sink a few inches into his chair. He didn't particularly enjoy the attention from these sorts of things-- stuff that made him look amazing and boastful when he was really just trying to get by. Was it his fault that he'd survived several encounters with Voldemort? He'd just been trying to do what anyone else would have; to stay alive. The only reason he knew how to summon a Patronus was because he wanted to be able to defend himself from Dementors.

Nonetheless, he'd gone through the same spiel and explanation with the birthing of Dumbledore's Army last year. He didn't mind being a teacher of sorts, but he could just hear Draco's annoying drawl saying that Harry was a showoff.

"Harry, would you mind giving a demonstration?"

Half cringing, Harry nodded. "Sure, Professor." Standing, and making his way to the front of the room where Naruto stood, scanning the room, he supposed that this wasn't really that bad. A good handful of the sixth years in the class had been in the DA last year, and had been eager to learn from him. If all he had to put up with was a resentful Malfoy, then he would have no problem going to sleep that night.

Preferring to think that the slight warmth to his face was caused by the temperature of the room, and not from having so many pairs of eyes fixed upon him, Harry wondered if he should give some sort of introduction to the spell, being so used to that sort of thing in the DA. But he remembered that this wasn't his class, and, feeling a tad foolish, he lifted his wand.

"You're going red, Potter! You sure you haven't forgotten how to summon that baby deer?"

Well, it wasn't as though Harry hadn't been expecting it. Instead of being more embarrassed, he snorted softly, wishing that Malfoy could be tossed around by a Patronus in the same way that a Dementor could.

Harry's eyes flickered a few rows back, to Sasuke, who had a textbook raised over his head, obviously aiming. Before Harry could even fathom the obvious two plus two, the heavy book hit the back of Malfoy's head, forcing his forehead to meet the desk with a sickening crack. Sasuke innocently propped his chin in his hand and looked away, pretending to not even have witnessed the act, even though he was the only person in the back row, and thus the only person who could have been responsible. Harry wasn't sure which was angrier; Malfoy's scowl or the red spot on his forehead.

Ron let out a great 'ha!' of triumph, overriding a few more discreet giggles from the non-Slytherin students. Pansy Parkinson glared daggers at Sasuke, who was putting on a great show of turning around and just noticing what was going on.

For the second time in that hour, Naruto wondered if he was being a good influence on Sasuke after all. "Ten points from Slytherin," he sighed, though he didn't explain if it was for Malfoy's backtalk or Sasuke's perfect aim. "If you would, please, Harry."

Grinning slightly, Harry raised his wand. He didn't even need to summon a happy memory; all he had to do was take another look at the red bump on Malfoy's forehead.

--..--..--..--..--..--

By the time class had ended, a few of the people who had not been members of the DA had managed to get ghostly wisps of an unformed Patronus to seep from their wands. Sasuke, although he had vowed to improve his wand capabilities, had not even tried, due to the fact that he never 'tried' anything in front of this many people unless he was already sure he could do it to a degree. Draco was still far too infuriated to concentrate, and when they were dismissed, he immediately stood and turned, fully intending to hex Sasuke within an inch of his life once they stepped outside the door. But Sasuke had already vanished.

The shinobi, however, was not quick enough to escape Snape a few feet down the corridor. The Potions Master grabbed his upper arm, a rather bold move in Sasuke's opinion, and said in clipped tones, "Dumbledore's office, now. Sugar quills." All but tossing Sasuke's arm back to him, he swept off to Naruto's classroom as the rest of the students were exiting.

Frowning, Sasuke needn't ask what 'sugar quills' meant at this point. Dumbledore's passwords always seemed to be narrowed down to ridiculous candy names. This method was ludicrous in Sasuke's mind; it would be so easy for a student to guess the password if they tried a handful of times. He decided to heed Snape, as he appeared to be treated Sasuke as an employee rather than a student. That, and Malfoy was emerging from the classroom, looking ready to kill, and Sasuke was only armed with his stubbornly useless Stick.

It would also be conspicuous to set Draco on fire without a wand.

Assuming that there was going to be a meeting in the Headmaster's office, Sasuke adopted a brisk pace, searching out the telltale statue that marked the room.

Snape, weaving irritably past the students who were milling about the door and not fast enough to move, barked at them to get a move on to their next classes.

Harry and Ron were putting their books and titled homework sheets into their bags, abandoned by Hermione, who had needed to pick up a few textbooks before her next class, and hurried off before them. Ron tapped Harry's shoulder and gave a nod towards Snape, who appeared a little more purposeful than he would be if he were just stopping by for a belittling chat. Well versed in stalling at this point in their lives, Harry watched Snape out of the corner of his eye as Ron stopped to tie his already tied shoelace.

"Professor Snape?" Naruto looked a bit puzzled as Snape swept down to speak with him.

All too aware that Harry and Ron were still there, Snape opted for being blandly cryptic, "The Headmaster would like a word with you, Uzumaki." He would have tacked on a stressed 'now', but that would make it obvious that there was a sense of urgency, which never boded well with Potter's sleuth-like curiosity. The last thing they needed was Potter nosing about more than he did on a natural basis.

"Ah… Right." Nodding, and appearing a little curious, Naruto swept a few things from his desktop and into drawers, following Snape up the ascending stairs to the door. "Ron, Harry, you'll be late for your next class," Naruto added with a grin.

"Getting _to_ classes doesn't seem to be problematic for these two," Snape said snidely, "but getting them _out_ of one is another matter."

"Eager learners, then. That's not a problem," Naruto chimed, looking clueless, ushering the pair out cheerfully. "And thank you for that demonstration today, Harry. I'll admit that I'm not the best to learn that spell from; it's a hard one to do."

Blinking, Harry nodded as he and Ron left the class. "Uh… No problem, Professor." He watched with Ron as the Professors left, heading to Dumbledore's office.

"He's got a gift, that Uzumaki," Ron snorted, turning a corner and leading Harry to the Transfiguration classroom. "Teaching things that he can't even do himself."

Harry shrugged lightly, half agreeing with what Ron said. "I suppose. But with the Dementors loose, maybe he thought that we'd better learn it anyway?"

"Nah," Ron said, grinning suddenly. "All we really need is a good, sturdy textbook. That'll take care of most household pests, at any rate, hey Harry?" He imitated Sasuke's book toss.

Harry couldn't help but to laugh. At least they had a Defense teacher that could actually accept the dangers outside of the school's threshold, and wanted to prepare them. He felt less like there was a spotlight on him now; Uzumaki had just picked him to conjure a Patronus because he himself could not. Maybe they'd run into a helpful spell that only Hermione knew how to do, and she would teach them. They were all learning from each other. And with Voldemort back, who would be stupid enough to not take all the help they could get?

--..--..--..--..--..--

"And just who the hell is Alastor Moody? When were you intending to tell us about this?!" Sasuke's voiced echoed slightly in the domelike room, and Naruto, in his regular teenage form, frowned.

"Sasuke--"

"Watch your mouth," Snape hissed through clenched teeth.

"Severus, it's quite alright…" Dumbledore raised a hand to silence Sasuke, however. "I was regrettably unable to inform you of this beforehand, Sasuke, because I have been absent for the last fortnight."

Something flickered over Sasuke's senses, and he tried not to look too affronted, but Naruto spoke for him.

"You've been gone?" Naruto looked to Snape and McGonagall, who had obviously been aware of this. "Why didn't you tell us?" He sounded a little irritated, and a little hurt. Sasuke latched on to the irritation in his voice more than anything, because it made him feel more justified for being angry himself.

"I apologize, but you must forgive my reasoning." To Sasuke's surprise and chagrin, Dumbledore smiled very slightly, "It seems that whenever the school is aware of my absence, nothing short of utter chaos seems to erupt."

"Luckily," Dumbledore continued, making a soft, tired, sort of old man sound as he seated himself behind his large, ornate desk, "Alastor is recovering. We're not quite sure as to how his attacker managed to get inside Grimmauld Place headquarters, as only its Secret Keeper can allow admission…" The Headmaster lost his slight smile, and the lines in his face made him look very grave.

"Are we allowed to know who this crap Secret Keeper is?" Sasuke deadpanned, not even bothering to use an iota of his already bare manners.

Both Snape and McGonagall looked irked with Sasuke, but if they had been intending to say anything in reproach, Dumbledore cut them off.

"That," he said, still grave, though his light blue eyes twinkled, "would be me."

Instead of looking sheepish, Sasuke assumed senility to be the root of the problem. "And did you happen to tell any murdering, power hungry freaks where this headquarters is?"

Naruto hit him.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, "Sasuke here hasn't had his anger management routine cut out of his life before." Meaning that Sasuke had been unable to engage in any variety of life endangering exercise, and it was the equivalent of cabin fever for him. Sasuke glared venomously, but kept his jaw clamped shut.

Ever patient, Dumbledore continued, unfazed, "I don't believe that I brought the subject up over tea, no. The attack on Alastor Moody two weeks ago is startling, but there is a cause to everything that happens. There is no lasting damage since Remus was along shortly after to drop off a report."

"Who's Remus? Why would he be dropping off a report?" Sasuke seemed to be back to the business side of his brain, and Naruto let him talk. "You still haven't told us what this Grimmauld Place is the headquarters of, or anything else of apparent use."

"Alastor Moody and Remus Lupin are members of the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore said, tenting his long fingers in front of his face. "Which is, as you can most likely guess, a band of witches and wizards who are collectively pitted against the forces of Lord Voldemort."

Nodding, feeling a little more calm now that there was information coming his way, Sasuke frowned thoughtfully. "Moody was attacked, but not killed… who would run into a place and not finish the job properly?"

"Unless it wasn't the primary objective," Naruto noted. They both looked to Dumbledore for confirmation.

"That is, as far as we know, correct," he said. "A locket was stolen; a belonging of the late Regulus Black, to whose family the house once belonged."

"Only a locket? Kind of a stupid thief," Naruto raised his eyebrows.

Sasuke shook his head, "Think about it, you idiot. _Only_ a locket. Just that one thing, and this person probably went through a lot to figure out how to get inside the headquarters to steal it. So there's obviously something special about it."

McGonagall spoke up, seemingly just as confused about this as Naruto and Sasuke. "Yes, that much is apparent. But we've yet been able to figure out why this thief was so focused on the locket."

Dumbledore, as though sad to burden them with more worry, softly shook his head, "I have, to no avail, been trying to ignore this, but my fears are nearly confirmed with this course of action." The Headmaster paused, and Snape was frowning heavily, not liking where this conversation was heading, before the elderly wizard continued, veering off tangent, "How much do you two know about Horcruxes?"

Honestly, the shinobi duo knew nothing about Horcruxes, but Dumbledore didn't seem surprised in the least. In a calm and patient tone that was bordering on tired, he explained to them what this dark magic incurred, and how Voldemort had unlocked the complicated puzzle of how to use them. The more Sasuke heard, the more sickened he became with Voldemort's flight from death.

Apparently just as disturbed, Naruto asked softly, "So… you think that a bit of his soul is in that locket?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said simply. "It may seem strange to you that we had not dealt with this locket beforehand, but to be perfectly truthful, I had no idea that it was of any substantial malice. To say that because this person stole the locket does not assure me of its being a Horcrux, but the chances have tilted in favor of that possibility."

"And this attacker didn't just offer us their knowledge," Minerva added, looking pale, "they took it for their own."

"Exactly," nodded Dumbledore, "Which leads me to believe the only thing I can; this item just may be a Horcrux, and this person is most likely trying to protect the pieces of Voldemort's soul. I do not entertain the idea that it is the work of a Death Eater, since Lord Voldemort would want no one's hands on a section of his being… he prefers them to be hidden, and assumes them to be so, as he cannot feel the separated portions of himself as anything more than backup connections to life…"

"This does not mean, however, that the Dark Lord will not swoop in on the chance to penetrate the Order's hideaway once he discovers our vulnerability," Snape intoned darkly.

There was a long stretch of silence, heavy and thoughtful, before Naruto spoke.

"We can deal with any… bad guys; Death Eaters and, well, Voldemort, if need be. It's what we're here for."

Sasuke added sharply, "We aren't students, or children, or what have you. Tell me to kill something, give me a valid reason why, and I'll kill it. His magic may be unfamiliar to us, but I'll wager that he's never exactly had a run in with our 'type', either."

Another pause, and Dumbledore nodded, almost not moving at all.

"So…" Naruto looked around the room at the other four, "Where do we stand on this? What does this mean?"

"It means," Dumbledore said, face stony and grave once more, "that the Order of the Phoenix no longer has the protection of Grimmauld Place. Those who battle against Lord Voldemort are known to him, and this puts entire families in extreme danger. He knows who to find, and will have little trouble figuring out how, if the Order's members flock together to operate."

Drinking in his words, McGonagall's eyebrows furrowed, confused, and she stared at the Headmaster. "Albus, you can't mean…"

"Yes, Minerva," he said, a note of sad, exhausted finality in his voice, "For the time being, the Order of the Phoenix is officially disbanded."

--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--..--

TBC

(unbeta-ed!)


End file.
